'Wait and see': Vancouver’s verdict on hosting the World Cup uncertain as tournament begins

'Wait and see': Vancouver’s verdict on hosting the World Cup uncertain as tournament begins

While the FIFA World Cup has transformed the city, poll shows not everyone is on board

After years of hype and planning and weeks of displays being unveiled, the world may be excited about another chance to spend time with Vancouver — but Vancouver seems decidedly mixed about the impact of the FIFA World Cup.

"Vancouverites [have] a wait-and-see attitude and mindset here," said Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute.

"This isn't about whether people are cheering for Team Canada or feeling excited … [but] they're also expressing to us that they don't necessarily think that the tournament and the act of hosting the tournament are worth the public cost."

The Angus Reid Institute released a survey this week that found 72 per cent of those polled in Metro Vancouver said hosting was not worth the public cost and 69 per cent said it would create too much disruption. Just 46 per cent said they were interested in watching the games.

The online survey had a sample size of 505 people, and has a margin of error of roughly plus or minus four percentage points.

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With all the announcements over and watch parties and concerts now hours away — and the first of seven games at B.C. Place happening Saturday — the mood in Vancouver might turn less ambivalent and more joyous.

But for now, the contrast between how others are excited for Vancouver versus how Vancouver is excited for itself is noteworthy.

In the run-up to the World Cup, the New York Times previewed B.C. Place as perhaps "the most beautiful venue at the tournament" while Sports Illustrated ranked Vancouver as the No. 1 host city.

A bevy of international social media accounts have expressed surprise and admiration for how much the region has leaned into the tournament, from the Science World soccer ball to flags draped off the Capilano Suspension Bridge and every transit sign and art installation in between.

"I've been a little bit surprised with how much play it's gotten," said Sports Illustrated writer Ben Steiner about his ranking.

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He said part of Vancouver's No. 1 placement stemmed from the central location of B.C. Place and its integration with rapid transit, a far cry from the suburb and parking lot backdrops to many U.S. stadiums.

But he also said the degree that FIFA has taken over the city counts as well.

"There's a viewing party on Grouse Mountain. Capilano Suspension Bridge is hanging soccer balls from the bridge. People are being taken to places [celebrating the games] that they might not be otherwise in other cities," he said.

"I think Vancouver, the reason it's winning this is because it's smaller. If it was a bigger city … maybe the stadium wouldn't be in downtown, maybe the games wouldn't be as central."

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It also means long-running campaigns that have nothing to do with the World Cup have been partially sucked into the tournament's orbit.

"Knowing that the Mexican community are [big] football fans, we figured that putting 'Mexican Barrio' under the Hastings Crossing banner would be a good idea," said Landon Hoyt, executive director of the Hastings Crossing Business Improvement Association, whose area includes the Downtown Eastside.

"This did happen over a year before FIFA … but because this event is coming, we figured we'd put it on this map,"

Hoyt said business improvement associations surrounding B.C. Place were asked to include unique things from their communities for a series of FIFA tourist-focused wayfinding maps. The growing number of Mexican businesses in the area were excited to get in on the conversation, which led to "Mexican Barrio" being listed as one of the things to experience in the area around Main and Hastings streets.

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"It's just a description," said Rafael Trujillo, owner of Nahual Cannabis and the person who came up with the idea.

"But we hope they will visit us and see all the good vibes, all the culture … because we see a lot of good, positive things lately."

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It's a reminder that for the moment, seemingly everything in Vancouver has a FIFA hue to it — even the issues that will define the city well after this particular circus has come and gone.

"People in Vancouver are feeling a little more jaded at this time, especially around the economic aspects of it," said Kurl.

"But the tournament's coming, there's no stopping it now."