B.C. premier explains about-face on Vancouver's potential FIFA World Cup bid

A smiling John Horgan said the B.C. government would be “remiss” if it didn’t enter into discussions with FIFA about the potential for Vancouver to host some World Cup games in 2026.

This is a stark change from four years ago, when the premier shut the door on the idea, saying it was too risky.

“I felt that based on our analyses of the requests from FIFA, that it was too rich to have a blank cheque without us having a full understanding of the challenges that we faced in a number of other areas,” said the premier.

It wasn’t a priority for his new government back then, Horgan added.

But now there is a need to woo tourists back to Vancouver, and hosting the World Cup would certainly draw people from around the world.

“We have in BC Place, a very expensive stadium that had a rebuild that was almost as expensive as the first construction, and it’s been virtually idle for the past two years,” he said.

Only a handful of games would be played in Vancouver, but proponents believe the public would rally around the event like they did during the Olympics.

“Every single community is represented in our city,” said Peter Schaad of Soccer BC. “So somebody will get to watch their home country in their new home which is really, really exciting.”

But Horgan cautioned FIFA would have to be clear about how much it would cost, before he would give his approval.