good for business or a 'gong show'? metro vancouver businesses, residents brace for world cup's arrival
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b.c. place’s white roof rises above frankie’s italian kitchen & bar, where the patio is decked out in blue fifa-emblazoned table umbrellas and banners with mini flags from countries around the world.
although the stadium entrance beside the restaurant will be closed on game days, as will beatty street where it is located, manager colin campos believes his restaurant will score many diners before and after the seven games being played in vancouver.
“a lot of people are already calling,” campos said. “everybody wants the experience because it’s the first time the world cup has come here.”
at catch 122 cafe bistro near north vancouver’s waterfront, manager ana alcantara is also optimistic, but with a bit more of a wait-and-see approach. the restaurant will feature a special world cup-related pastry, and will offer a picnic package for people flocking to canada soccer house, which is being staged next door at the shipyards.
but it likely won’t be until after vancouver’s opening match is played june 13 that the restaurant will have a better idea of the number of extra staff needed, how customers are doing navigating closed streets, and the extent of the spillover effect from canada soccer house.
“we expect to be busy, but there are a lot of question marks,” alcantara said.
across metro vancouver, businesses and residents are buckling up — for better or for worse — for the arrival of the world’s biggest soccer tournament, june 11 to july 19. while some are fully embracing the fifa-related fervour, others are bracing for a “gong show” of traffic gridlock and other inconveniences.
opinions are divided about the potential economic windfall: will the thousands of expected fans flood local eateries or buy souvenir t-shirts? or will the closed roads, blocked entrances, and overall restrictions keep people away?
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fewer tourists than originally anticipated have booked hotel rooms in vancouver for the tournament. this month’s hotel occupancy across the lower mainland is about nine per cent lower than june 2025, and it’s worse in downtown vancouver where it’s 15 per cent behind, according to the b.c. hotel association.
“despite its global profile, fifa has not generated the broad hotel demand many expected,” the association said in a statement.
several metro municipalities, along with local business and community organizations, say they are trying to mitigate impacts to businesses and inconveniences to residents near fifa events.
but the pros and cons of vancouver being a world cup host city may not be clear until after the opening kickoff.
soccer ball balloons hang over robson street, as preparations are underway for many world cup tournament events in downtown vancouver.
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downtown vancouver
the area most affected by world cup-related restrictions will be near b.c. place, where a stretch of pacific boulevard is closed through the end of july. on the seven game days, a dozen or so roads near the stadium will be blocked off, and additional routes will be restricted to local traffic.
“we are encouraging folks to try to plan around those match days. (but) if you do have an important appointment downtown or anything like that, give yourself a little bit of extra time,” said jessie adcock, leader of the world cup 2026 vancouver host committee.
“leave the car at home on those seven match days. plan to take transit.”
there will be more buses, and extended skytrain hours and seabus sailings during the tournament, translink says.
tickets holders are being told not to exit the skytrain at stadium-chinatown station. instead they should use the main street-science world station and walk along the false creek waterfront, a trek fifa has named the last mile. fans will enter b.c. place from pacific boulevard to the south, as the north side’s terry fox plaza is blocked from the public with metal fencing.
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beside that fencing is columbia academy elementary school. its 30 students will attend class in an affiliate secondary school on west hastings on three game days: june 18, 24 and 26. that’s because beatty street, where the school is located, will be closed, said principal brittany conlon.
“we started planning for this months ahead. … it’s temporary, so we’ll get through it,” conlon said, adding a few parents plan to keep their kids home those days.
next door to the school, aquarium supply store aquariums west has announced it will close on the seven game days given the challenge for customers to reach their business.
the owner of a retail store on abbott street asked postmedia “where will the customers come from?” on game days since abbott will be closed, the nearest skytrain entrance will be shuttered, and the closest b.c. place doors will be fenced off.
colin campos of frankie’s italian kitchen near b.c. place.
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but campos is more confident some of the 55,000 fans inside b.c. place will find their way to frankie’s, especially during canada’s games on june 18 and 24. traffic couldn’t get down beatty street after the 2015 women’s world cup final at b.c. place, but plenty of customers still walked in, he said.
for this tournament, frankie’s is all in: michelob, the official beer sponsor of the world cup, provided the blue umbrellas bearing their brand, and the restaurant will sell the ale at reduced prices on game days, he said.
extra food runners and servers have been hired, and staff have special passes to drive through closed-street checkpoints to get to work.
frankie’s also got permission from city hall to stay open later than usual. revellers could remain until 1 or 2 a.m. on nights when there are late games, said campos, a self-described soccer “freak” who has attended two world cups.
granville street will be closed to traffic between georgia and davie streets june 8 to july 26 to create a pedestrian zone with expanded patios, live music and extra food vendors. vehicles and buses will be rerouted onto howe and seymour streets.
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roads to šxʷwəq̓ʷəθət crosstown elementary, just a few blocks from the stadium, will also be closed on match days. for two games, june 18 and 24, parents have been urged to find alternatives to driving their kids to school, and fifa staff will encourage fans not to cut through the school property, the vancouver school board said in an email.
non-ticket holders can still use the stadium-chinatown skytrain stop to reach other areas of the neighbourhood.
evelyn jamieson and seven-month-old daughter echo are residents near the pne.
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around the pne
the fifa fan festival is at the pacific national exhibition from june 11 to july 19. soccer games will be shown in the amphitheatre, and there will be live music and other entertainment. general admission is free. you can also pay for reserved seats.
vancouver officials warn parking will be limited, and recommend people use transit, take taxis, walk or bike.
pushing her seven-month-old daughter echo in a stroller, pne neighbour evelyn jamieson said people who live in the area are used to traffic chaos when big events happen on the pne grounds, such as concerts and the annual summer fair.
she and her husband have already marked the vancouver goldeneyes’ home games at pacific coliseum on the family calendar, to remind themselves not to drive anywhere those evenings.
jamieson, who is on maternity leave from a job in the hospitality sector, said she’s willing to make similar sacrifices during fifa, and hopes the tournament brings a boost to the city’s bars and restaurants.
a woman walks by the fifa fencing surrounding the pne grounds.
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local resident vicky lo said she, too, is willing to tolerate inconvenience if it means the world cup will help vancouver’s economy.
“i’m ok, it’s just a short period of time for the extra traffic,” she said as she and a group of friends walked past the pne grounds, now hidden behind fencing covered in fifa banners.
but another local resident told postmedia he’s “not looking forward to the gong show.”
people relax in the sun at north vancouver’s shipyards commons, which will be home to canada soccer house during the world cup tournament. photo: lori culbert
lori culbert
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north vancouver
on vancouver harbour, near the seabus terminal, the shipyard commons will be home to canada soccer house, which will broadcast more than 100 world cup matches on a nine-metre outdoor screen from june 11 to july 19. there will also be family-friendly activities, food trucks and a beer garden.
the site can hold 5,000 people, karyn magnusson, the city’s general manager of infrastructure, told city council in a presentation last month.
on at least 11 “tier 1” days, which will feature celebrity athletes and prizes, the area will be fenced off with three entrance points where fans will go through metal detectors and bag checks. refillable water bottles and children’s snacks can be brought in, but no weapons, outside alcohol or pets.
on “tier 2” days, there will be less security and a more laid-back atmosphere.
local residents have been warned that during the five-week tournament, there are at least five games that start at 8 p.m. or later, and the city says it plans to close the site by midnight those evenings.
“we will be working hard to help make sure that as folks are leaving the site, they’re being orderly and mindful of the neighbourhood,” magnusson said.
plans have also been made to ensure the fencing and temporary road closures don’t impede condo residents from reaching their parkades, and restaurants from getting supplies delivered, she said.
georgia garoufali, manager of anatoli souvlaki beside the shipyards, has hired extra staff, set up additional seating, and is looking forward to the hustle and bustle of the tournament.
“we’re greeks, we love everything that has to do with more people,” she laughed. “it won’t kill us to have more fun for a few weeks.”
ana alcantara of catch 122 in north vancouver believes the restaurant will be buy during the fifa tournament.
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at catch 122, alcantara said her staff is on alert that they may have to work extra hours, as the restaurant will stay open later on busy days.
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“we are excited for sure, we think it will be good for business,” she said.
but canada soccer house taking over the shipyards has meant some local events, including friday night markets, the rotary club’s canada day celebration, and the north shore jazz festival, have been moved to other locations for june and july.
“we’ve worked closely with them to ensure that we’ve created an appropriate alternate location,” magnusson told city council.
the capilano suspension bridge will hold the canyon kick-off from june 6 to july 19, when the park will be decorated with flags, a giant soccer ball, and footie-themed activities.
a giant canadian flag on grouse mountain as vancouver prepares to host seven 2026 world cup matches.
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to encourage support for the home team, north vancouver’s grouse mountain has installed an enormous canadian flag — about the size of two football fields — on a ski run, which can be seen from across vancouver.
a watch party at the top of the mountain for the june 27 panama versus england game is sold out.
indra bhan (left), joslyn young (centre), and heather booth, with the surrey and white rock board of trade, at a fan zone created for the fifa 2026 tournament.
surrey and white rock board of trade
rest of metro vancouver
during the world cup, surrey will broadcast 100 games in three soccer fan zone locations: civic plaza in the city centre, the cloverdale agriplex, and the south surrey athletic park.
delta will run similar free soccer fan zones, with activities and food trucks, at the north delta recreation centre and the ladner village pop-up park.
richmond is hosting a world soccer day kick-off event on june 12 at the olympic oval with a barbecue, music and a screening of canada’s first match, being played in toronto. the city is planning additional watch parties, culminating with the closing event july 19 at aberdeen neighbourhood park.
similar community celebrations are being held in coquitlam, new westminster, langley and maple ridge.
joslyn young, ceo of the surrey and white rock board of trade, said local businesses are hoping for an economic boost during the tournament — although those putting up decorations and signs had to be careful to follow fifa’s many proprietary rules.
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“so that’s been a little bit intimidating, and might have tampered down a bit of the excitement, but overall people are very excited,” young said.
an undisclosed soccer team — it’s a secret which one — is staying in surrey, and fans have booked hotel rooms, too. young anticipates as well that international tourists will be attracted to surrey’s many ethnic restaurants.
“it won’t just be vancouver, it’ll be the whole region that will see the impact,” she predicted.
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