The B.C. New Democrats have once more adjusted the expenditure of hosting FIFA 2026, pushing the total ever closer to $100 million for each of the seven matches held in B.C. Place the stadium next summer. The revised figure, hidden in a background document on Tuesday accompanying an enthusiastic press release about “an exceptional opportunity to highlight our province,” was listed at $624 million, at most.

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It indicates a $40-million upsurge over last year’s evidently full assessment of $581 million. Also significantly more than the $260 million estimate the New Democrats promoted three years ago, when they reversed their earlier disapproval and supported the World Cup.

Sobering to consider that then-NDP Premier John Horgan had initially declined hosting the World Cup because he did not wish to offer a “blank cheque” to FIFA, football’s greedy global authority. A 140-per-cent increase in just three years? Envision what this project could have cost if the province had granted a blank cheque.

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The earlier cost adjustment was said to have accounted for all factors that might escalate the budget, according to then-tourism minister Lana Popham. “The numbers we’ve proposed today we’re very confident in,” Popham informed journalists when announcing the $581-million figure a year ago.

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“We’ve included room for unforeseen events. We’ve considered inflation. And so the budget we presented today, we feel, is the one that is precise.” The newest increase was attributed to a revised calculation of “total core expenses of planning, executing and hosting” as well as protection and emergency provisions.

But that is not likely to be the final word. “These projections are liable to change as infrastructure enhancements, operational execution and public safety strategies develop in the concluding stages,” as stated in the background document.

World Cup 2026 Spending Nears $100M Per Match as Vancouver Officials Emphasize Long-Term Economic Boost

So with the present projection approaching nearly $90 million per match, the $100 million per game milestone is easily within reach. Nonetheless, the province and its collaborator, the City of Vancouver, persist in emphasizing the benefits of all this investment.

They assert that the expenditures will be counterbalanced by income. Although I should point out that their revenue breakdown includes a $116-million contribution from the national government, which many citizens would view as spending, not income.

Otherwise, the disbursements will allegedly be offset by a projected $1-billion-plus surge to the provincial economy, fueled by the anticipated 350,000 spectators at the seven matches, along with the extra million tourists who will (as claimed) be encouraged to travel to B.C. over the upcoming five years.

FIFA 2026 Economic Impact Study Questioned Over Gaps, Missing Data, and Visitor Estimates

To support that, the province provided a hyperlink to the Economic Impact Study it unveiled in 2024. The 12-page document is hardly conclusive or compelling. Several important segments were censored and there are no citations to support the assertion of $1 billion plus in financial gains.

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Additionally, the report notes that the analysts “could not confirm the key premise that a total of 262,125 visitors (45 per cent of whom would be from beyond Canada and the U.S.) would attend the matches.

“Without knowing precisely which teams will be competing in Vancouver (for instance, Senegal vs. Ecuador compared to, say, Germany vs. Netherlands), it is difficult to gauge target audiences.” The report similarly advises caution regarding the NDP’s statement that “more than 18,000 positions could be created” as a result of hosting the World Cup.

FIFA World Cup 2026 Job Impact Projections Face Scrutiny Amid Bold Economic Claims

“Numerous of the ‘positions’ mentioned in this evaluation may be occupied by additional hours of existing staff, part-time employees, personnel in the field acquiring a secondary job, or individuals shifting from another occupation,” the analysis admits.

“Moreover, part of this could be lessened by automation replacing human roles. Consequently, the occasion might not generate a significant net rise in permanent employment within the region, but rather a temporary boost for the sector.” The small print of the study was further strained than the overstated statement from Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, that, “We’re gaining the equivalent of 30 to 40 Super Bowls.”

Still, instead of reducing expectations, this week’s briefing from the province referenced an ambitious financial impact estimate provided by FIFA itself. FIFA’s proprietary economic influence review spans the timeframe from June 2023 to August 2026 and anticipates that organizing and hosting the competition could inject $1.7 billion in financial advantages for B.C. That involves a $980-million boost to GDP and $610 million in wage earnings.”

FIFA World Cup 2026 Hosting Deal Locks B.C. Into Rising Costs Amid Public Spending Concerns

Keep in mind that if those objectives aren’t achieved, it would pose zero threat to FIFA. The body has already secured all the immediate revenue from the matches and enforced a deal that shields it from any economic risk.

Unshakable, as the province admitted previously. Residents of British Columbia may very well prioritize other needs, like gathering enough resources to reopen the pediatric unit at Kelowna General Hospital, or honoring the NDP’s unmet, eight-year-old promise of $10-a-day childcare.

But at this stage, the New Democrats claim there’s no backing out of the obligation to host FIFA. B.C. is liable for the complete $624 million, and there’s little reason to assume that’s the final count. “I heard from him, I wish him good luck. It’s the best choice that could have been made. He’s a great coach and in the last eight years, he’s been in six different countries, coaching complicated teams like Marseille, Valencia, Napoli. He has a great personality and great ideas.

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Shocking to learn that FIFA 2026 has gone over budget again