Thousands of hotel rooms in Vancouver have been freed up for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, but industry insiders caution that this may not lead to lower prices for visitors. The B.C. Hotel Association reveals that FIFA has scrapped around 70 to 80 percent of the group room blocks reserved across all host cities during the tournament, resulting in approximately 15,000 nightly room cancellations in Vancouver between June 11 and July 19.
Paul Hawes, the association’s president, notes that while it is customary for major events to secure a block of hotel rooms for staff and media, the extent of the cancellations this time is significant. This trend is not unique to Vancouver, as similar cancellations are occurring in all 16 host cities, including Toronto.
Despite the room releases, Vancouver remains a top-performing destination. FIFA has ranked Vancouver as the second-best performing city, with New York taking the lead, based on factors like hotel bookings, travel demand, and ticket sales. Soccer fans heading to Vancouver for the World Cup have encountered challenges in finding reasonably priced accommodations.
While there will be thousands of available rooms in downtown hotels, industry experts like Hawes believe that prices are unlikely to be affected. Vancouver’s hotel occupancy is projected to reach about 90 percent during the World Cup period, maintaining the city’s demand levels similar to a bustling summer season.
The province anticipates welcoming approximately 350,000 visitors during the tournament. Tourism operators like Maria Wihak from West Trek Tours have been working to offer affordable World Cup travel packages. Wihak mentions that sales have been slower than expected, with only around 20 percent of their inventory sold so far.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s comparison of hosting the World Cup games to hosting multiple Super Bowls within a month may have been overstated, according to Wihak. However, she remains optimistic about the long-term benefits of having global attention on Vancouver. Hawes highlights that the 2026 tournament’s unique structure, split between three countries, sets it apart from previous World Cups.
Tourism officials are hopeful that demand will surge closer to the games as booking patterns indicate travelers are delaying finalizing their plans. Royce Chwin, president of Destination Vancouver, expects demand to grow as the tournament draws nearer and generates more excitement globally. B.C. Place will host Canada’s men’s national soccer team on June 18 against Qatar.