Thoughts turn to legacy as full-time whistle nears for Vancouver’s World Cup

VANCOUVER – Beer and mimosas were flowing on Granville Street on the eve of Vancouver’s World Cup swansong.

Even as the city prepared to host its seventh and final match of the tournament — a round-of-16 match between Switzerland and Colombia on Tuesday — fans crowded around televisions on patios to watch Spain edge past Portugal on Monday.

Rafael Vlad, a resident of nearby Port Moody, B.C., was among the fans walking along Granville with a group of friends after the match.

The longtime soccer fan had attended the match between Australia and Turkey, the first at BC Place. That match saw Australia fans engulf the downtown core, before and after their team’s win, and the city pulsed with the energy from its first taste of the world’s biggest sporting event. 

Vlad has been to matches in Europe and South America, but the World Cup is in a league of its own, he said, and it has brought that to Vancouver.

“The atmosphere is definitely more vibrant and people are connecting.”

Granville has been packed on game days and the street’s closure to vehicle traffic, originally set to last until July 19, has been extended through the Labour Day weekend. Mayor Ken Sim has said the city will explore temporarily bringing back the pedestrian zone in November for a Christmas market.

Vlad and his friend Sean Sidhu, also from Port Moody, agreed Vancouver was in need of a space to foster community for the World Cup and beyond, with artwork and areas for people to sit, eat and drink without worrying about vehicles.

“You look at countries like in Europe and they have a lot of pedestrian areas, and they thrive, and they do well,” Vlad said.

“But it’s because the people actually want to be there, so maybe if once people see this is actually quite fun, then more people will come.”

The buildup to the tournament included lots of talk of the hosting price tag of up to $729 million. But those concerns receded for many as the tournament kicked off.

Among the biggest cheerleaders has been Sim, who held aloft a red smoke canister as he marched with fans to BC Place for the June 24 match against Switzerland.

He said the tournament offered a rare kind of publicity.

The exposure for the city “can’t be replicated through traditional marketing or tourism campaigns.” he said in a statement. 

Sim has also praised the tournament as a boost for downtown businesses, but not everyone is sold on the idea of extending the Granville pedestrian zone, as thoughts turn to legacy.

Coun. Pete Fry, a member of Vancouver’s Green Party, voted against the plan, saying the motion’s passage in a special meeting the day after it was posted publicly didn’t allow sufficient time for consultation with stakeholders.

Fry said the estimated price tag of the extension has meanwhile risen to $4.75 million, up from an original projection of $3.5 million.

“It’s an expensive undertaking. We’re talking somewhere in the neighbourhood of like $100,000 a day to keep this pedestrian plaza going through to Labour Day.”

The pedestrian zone has been “hugely successful” during the tournament, Fry said.

But once FIFA and its fans have packed up and left, it won’t have the same draw and “milieu,” he said in an interview on Monday.

“One of the big challenges for Granville Street has been the sort of overwhelming proliferation of bars and nightclubs to the exclusion of a lot of other things, and what it’s meant is that there’s a lot less daytime activity,” Fry said.

While the city has long intended to look at how it could pedestrianize the street, “a lot of intentional work” must underpin the potential plan, he said.

For now, the street is lined with extended patios and soccer-themed decorations.

Fry said the World Cup has not left a mark as extensive as that of the 2010 Olympics, which brought major infrastructure projects to Vancouver and region, but the tournament has shown the city can play on a world-class stage.

Sim’s statement said the World Cup demonstrated what is possible with vibrant, people-first public spaces.

“During the tournament, Granville Street became one of the busiest and most energetic places in Canada, supporting local businesses, while creating an incredible experience for residents and visitors alike,” the statement said. 

The mayor said last week that extending the pedestrian zone would allow the city to gather more data for its “long-term vision” for the street.

Surrey, B.C., resident Lynn Sloan grew up in Vancouver and returned to Granville Street, her teenage stomping grounds, to take in the festivities on Monday.

“It’s fun to be down here, and they’ve tried with little things,” she said of the decorations, including a large soccer ball made of tinsel garlands.

Yet she felt underwhelmed by the display. “I just feel like there could be more flags, more atmosphere down here. A little bit more activation,” she said.

The tournament has given Vancouver a series of memorable moments, from the revelry of the Australian fans, to Canada’s six-goal rout of Qatar that set up the national team to progress to the knockout stages.

There were also massive marches of Canadian supporters to BC Place, while the makeover of Vancouver’s Science World dome as a soccer ball gave the tournament an iconic symbol that was broadcast the world over.

Canada’s 2-1 loss to Switzerland dashed Vancouver’s hopes of hosting the home team in the knockout rounds. But Team Canada jerseys are never far from sight as fans continue to take in matches along Granville Street and at the official FIFA Fan Festival at Vancouver’s PNE grounds, drawing tens of thousands on busy days.

Zain Piy wore an Alphonso Davies jersey as he waited in line at a bubble tea shop along Granville on Monday. The visitor from Toronto had attended Canada’s match against Morocco, and while Piy said he was “so sad” the Canadian captain didn’t play much, he was looking forward to soaking in the energy at BC Place on Tuesday.

“It’s amazing, it brings everyone together, you know, seeing all the people from different countries come and just enjoy the game.”

The Swiss have meanwhile made Vancouver their de facto home base. Tuesday’s match against Colombia will be Switzerland’s third consecutive appearance at BC Place, as well as FIFA’s final outing in the city.

As for the ultimate legacy of the World Cup in Vancouver? Fry said his answer depends on whether the city can retain its Major League Soccer team, the Whitecaps, which are at risk of being sold to an American buyer.

“It would be a bit bittersweet if we ended up losing the ‘Caps,” he said. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 6, 2027.