Many global news column inches and broadcast time were given to just how inhospitable the 2026 World Cup was.
Source: PexelsYet the news of barred entry at airports and extortionate pricing never really included Mexico or Canada. In fact, the latter had a series of changes, which attempted to make the World Cup as smooth as possible for visitors. But has the right level of tourism arisen as a result?
The World Cup in Canada
Matches in Canada were split between two cities. Six matches took place in Toronto, with seven taking place in Vancouver. Despite host cities being well prepared and expecting a huge economic boom, it may not have arrived as expected. Hotels have reported that numbers have been below what they planned for. Several reasons have been given for this, including fewer people attending the games than expected.
A more likely explanation is that people may have stayed away because of the World Cup. Many people will have predicted additional visitors, but they will not have discounted those who stayed away during the period and those who went elsewhere because they don’t like football. This may have got rid of the baseline figure.
One organisation representing Vancouver and Toronto hotels noted that 72% of rooms were occupied in the third week of June. This was in opposition to 86% the previous year.
At the time of writing, Canada was flying high in the World Cup, having beaten South Africa to make history and enter the round of sixteen. Prediction market Kalshi, in which people can buy a share in the likelihood of an event, did not favour them. Prospects of Canadian advancement only had a 29% rating, against a resurgent Morocco. This and other predictions for sports can be made easily using a promo for Kalshi, should people wish to try to guess the outcome of the final.
Entry Requirements
Source: PexelsCanada may have also been strict on its entry requirements, as fewer than half of its applications were awarded. According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), most of these came from Ghana, where just 11% of 1,725 applications were approved. To see how different this is by country, 1,630 applications came from Colombia, and an approval rating of 69% was given.
Countries such as Australia, many based in Europe and South American countries such as Argentina and Chile all had approval ratings of 100%. This strict system meant that nobody had any surprises when arriving at the border. Yet it may have significantly reduced visitor numbers.
Boosted Restaurant Spending
Early figures have told a different story. Around 330,000 people attended a FIFA Fan Festival in Vancouver, with a full house at the first five games at BC Place, Vancouver. This is in contrast to many of the empty seats seen at other stadiums in the group stages.
Crucially, restaurant businesses in Vancouver have reported an increase of 40% in sales. There are even some reporting bigger numbers than St. Patrick’s Day or the Super Bowl. However, the real economic benefits may not truly be visible for some time, as reports come in and the spending for the tournament ends when fans go home.
