I have said before… I am not a fan of FIFA as an organization, and I have never been a football / soccer fan …. Even during FIFA World Cup. But watching can change you. Prior to the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup our daughter was NOT a fan of soccer / football at ALL! She despised it. Then she watched 2022 and became a huge fan. She follows it (soccer / football) as her #1 sport to follow, all year every year… not just every four years. It is infectious. It takes you in and converts you. And I think that truly is what has happened in Canada. Both with the success our Canadian men’s team delivered (way beyond expectations) and the hosting by Vancouver and Toronto… soccer and community has exploded.
I am so excited that Canadians got the opportunity to host and to share in the experience in two amazing Canadian cities and across the country. It was amazing. I spent 8 days in Toronto during FIFA 2026. My daughter experienced a game. The excitement, the “new friends”, the memories that FIFA has brought to not just Toronto and Vancouver and their surrounding communities but the watch parties across our nation like never before.
So, the question is “was it all worth it”? As my friend Gavin Roth said to me in late May… there are three stages to the FIFA hosting experience. First is the huge excitement and joy and support from the community at large when your city has been awarded a hosting opportunity. And this is huge… remember when everyone was so positive and excited?
Then comes Stage Two. For a couple of years there is the doldrums of hell… the bitching, the complaining, the politicking (a mayor of the day blaming the previous mayor for the costs and how they would never have let that happen), people complaining about loss of access for their event of choice for a year, the people complaining about the costs to the taxpayer, the limited access to tickets and what was available was outrageous in price (and all of those are my words not Gavin’s) – remember those days 6 weeks ago? It seems like forever ago but it was a mere 6 weeks ago all that bitching was still so loud.
Then there is Stage Three. This is the excitement that occurred for weeks not only in Vancouver and Toronto but across the nation. During my 8 days in Toronto during FIFA (and 7 days of Jays home games, Pride Week and Pride Parade) I never once heard people complain about the traffic or the TTC or the price of tickets or booze or food or experiences. People were celebrating. People were joyous (even when their nation lost) – everyone was having a ton of fun. And that is what we will all remember.
So, a few things. First of all, I am still not a soccer fan (lol… but I do know more about the game today than I ever have before and I watched matches) and I still despise FIFA as an organization. Second, as I said, I watched. I cheered and I had a ton of fun in Toronto as a fan when I was there as well as back home in Nanaimo. Third… was it all worth it? In my mind… yes! It was worth every penny we spent and will spend going forward to pay for it all. It brought positive economic impact. It revitalized communities like Vancouver’s Granville Street. It brought communities together. It brought joy and frivolity to people. And most importantly, it reignited a nation.
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