There is a lot of chatter about the FIFA World Cup 26™, but we really don’t know for sure how this will impact our city. So far, all of the outward hype is positive, but what about the behind-the-scenes whispers? Is Vancouver ready for the world to descend upon us from June 13th to July 7th next year? 

BC Place Vancouver will host seven matches from the FIFA World Cup 26™, including Canada’s second and third group fixtures and two knockout games in the latter stages of the tournament.

How many tourists will be coming to Vancouver? Will we have enough hotel rooms to accommodate all of them? We have the same number of hotel rooms as we did in 2002, with 23 hotel properties currently in the pipeline. However, these are more of a longer-term plan and won’t be ready for 2026.

Rising Tide was pleased to attend the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade luncheon on June 10th with the esteemed speakers Victor Montagliani, FIFA VP and CONCACAF President, Chief Wayne Sparrow of the Musqueam Indian Band, Royce Chwin of Destination Vancouver and Jessie Adcock from the City of Vancouver.

This event provided a high-level overview of FIFA and its potential impact on tourism, hospitality, and the city as a whole. Now that we are one year out, they are not ready to share details about what the opportunities will be for our community and local businesses. They addressed that they would be focusing on safety and security, how to handle the influx of visitors at YVR and BC Place Stadium and that there will be the official fan site at the PNE.

Despite not knowing all of the details just yet, Royce from Destination Vancouver said, “We know how to host… We know how to welcome the world…”

We have done this before, so we look forward to another spectacular event for Vancouver—arguably the largest event we have ever hosted!

If you need guidance with your liquor licensing, cannabis licensing, compliance issues or business operations, get in touch with us! 

Contact Rising Tide

In addition to our offices in Vancouver, Kamloops, Vancouver Island and Toronto, Rising Tide now has a new office in Prince George, serving Northern BC.

We are pleased to announce as well that Laura Scagliati has joined the RTC team as a Senior Licensing Specialist. Laura comes to us from the LCRB where she has developed extensive knowledge of licensing rules and regulations and served as the LRS and liquor licensing expert for the past 9 years.

We are excited to have her level of expertise added to our talented team of consultants at Rising Tide. Here are our years of service in the industry. 

Bert Hick – 37 years plus 2 years as General Manager of the LCRB

Edna Lizotte – 10 years

Kim Norbury – 30 years

Susan Mander – 18 years 

Christina Beheeler – 6 years

Rising Tide remains committed to optimizing your business growth potential through licensing opportunities and strategic operational guidance. 

We are here to help

If you need guidance with your liquor licensing, cannabis licensing, compliance issues or business operations, get in touch with us! 

Contact Rising Tide