With just a month to go before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Premier David Eby has unveiled some of the upgrades made to BC Place.
One of the renovations is the installation of a hybrid sod-grass pitch, which is temporarily replacing the artificial turf used by both the Vancouver Whitecaps and BC Lions.
Eby points out that the grass turf used was grown in Abbotsford.
(CityNews Image)
Other upgrades include new hospitality and event spaces, accessibility improvements, and a permanent merchandise store.
Eby says all renovations are on track to be completed on time and within the estimate shown in this year’s provincial budget.
Last June, the B.C. government pegged the provincial cost of hosting at between $532 million and $624 million, including a $196-million upgrade of the 43-year-old stadium.
“I understand the important need to have the final and full accounting of the cost of the event available to the public,” he said. “Our intention was to release that with our partners closer to the date of the first game. But I have asked our team to bring that forward to ensure that we have the total out to the public by the end of the month.”
(CityNews Image)
(CityNews Image)
Hosting also brings benefits that won’t show up on a balance sheet, the premier says.
“(The cost) is a key piece of information for the public,” he said. “But the legacies that will be created by this game, whether it’s community sports fields or the improvements here to the stadium that create lines of revenue or the opportunity to develop and enhance relationships with business partners or tourists from around the world, are significant and hard to understate.”
Do the Whitecaps benefit?
The premier didn’t discuss what is in store for the Whitecaps, with questions remaining about the team’s future ever since a Las Vegas group led by billionaire business leader Grant Gustavson said it had submitted a bid to purchase the team. Last week, Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon said a local group was planning to make a bid, but didn’t provide many details about the viability or legitimacy of the prospect.
The province plans to reveal the total cost of hosting the World Cup before the games begin, Eby said.
Meanwhile, the province is set to meet with key stakeholders on Wednesday to discuss what it’s going to take to keep the team here.
“Our goal is, with Major League Soccer, with the owners, is to work with them to identify what it’s going to take to keep the ‘Caps in British Columbia and to work with them, be creative, put everything on the table and see what we can come to in terms of keeping this team here,” Eby said.
“This meeting, while important, is not going to resolve this entire issue. But I hope it’s an important signal to MLS, to the ownership of the Whitecaps, of the commitment of the government to work with them to address their concerns.”
BC Place will host seven FIFA World Cup 2026 matches, with the first one on June 13.
– With files from The Canadian Press.
Upgrades are seen at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver on Tuesday May 12, 2026. (CityNews Image)
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