{"id":54651,"date":"2026-05-21T14:22:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T14:22:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/54651\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T14:22:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T14:22:15","slug":"how-to-avoid-crowds-in-metro-vancouver-during-the-fifa-world-cup-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/54651\/","title":{"rendered":"How to avoid crowds in Metro Vancouver during the FIFA World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Metro Vancouver is likely to draw throngs of soccer fans and revellers this summer as part of the upcoming FIFA World Cup.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The soccer tournament will result in a two-month road closure <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/9.7196040\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:for a section of one downtown street;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;for a section of one downtown street&quot;}\" class=\"link \">for a section of one downtown street<\/a>, along with a number of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vancouverfwc26.ca\/community-hub\/road-closures\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:matchday road closures;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;matchday road closures&quot;}\" class=\"link \">matchday road closures<\/a> to allow for pedestrian access.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">While each of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vancouverfwc26.ca\/match-centre\/match-schedule\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Vancouver&#039;s seven matchdays;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Vancouver&#039;&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Vancouver&#8217;s seven matchdays<\/a> will see games that last around two hours, on average, crowds are expected throughout the tournament&#8217;s duration from June 11 to July 19.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Here&#8217;s a handy guide for places where crowds are likely to congregate across the Metro Vancouver region.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">B.C. Place stadium<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">During Vancouver&#8217;s seven matchdays, large sections in and around False Creek and Andy Livingstone Park as well as the immediate area around B.C. Place stadium, will be closed to most traffic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">There will also be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/british-columbia\/vancouver-pacific-boulevard-closure-fifa-world-cup-road-9.7196040\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:changes to pedestrian access;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;changes to pedestrian access&quot;}\" class=\"link \">changes to pedestrian access<\/a> at the Stadium-Chinatown and Yaletown-Roundhouse SkyTrain stations. Commuters will be encouraged to exit instead at the Main Street-Science World station to make their way along the matchday spectator route to B.C. Place.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"This graphic from FIFA's Vancouver host committee shows a number of roads around B.C. Place that will be closed to traffic on matchdays during the World Cup.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"661\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/d3a8579e074cdc058ac6df1b50e0c587.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>(City of Vancouver)<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The City of Vancouver&#8217;s host committee said walking and wheelchair access will be maintained, and the seawall will remain open \u2014 though signed detours will be posted as required.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">PNE Fan Fest<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The official FIFA Fan Festival will be held at the PNE Amphitheatre at Hastings Park in East Vancouver \u2014 and it won&#8217;t just draw crowds on matchdays.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Hastings Park will play host to screening events and concerts throughout the duration of the World Cup, largely from Wednesday to Sunday, starting June 11 and going until July 19.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vancouverfwc26.ca\/fifa-fan-festival\/schedule\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:full schedule;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;full schedule&quot;}\" class=\"link \">full schedule<\/a> is available on the city&#8217;s host committee website, and the fan festival&#8217;s opening hours vary, though it will usually draw crowds all day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">TransLink is running a direct bus to the fan festival <a href=\"https:\/\/www.translink.ca\/rider-guide\/taking-transit-to-the-world-cup\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:from the 29th Avenue SkyTrain station;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;from the 29th Avenue SkyTrain station&quot;}\" class=\"link \">from the 29th Avenue SkyTrain station<\/a>, which could attract throngs of people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Vancouver host committee lead Jessie Adcock says organizers have been listening carefully to PNE-area residents&#8217; concerns about parking and congestion, which is part of why they are promoting a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.vancouverfwc26.ca\/know-before-you-go\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Know Before You Go campaign;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Know Before You Go campaign&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Know Before You Go campaign<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"The PNE Amphitheatre is pictured under construction in Vancouver, B.C., on Monday, April 20, 2026.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/f18afde61167ccb02ca8985fa770c7d0.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The PNE Amphitheatre in East Vancouver will draw thousands of people, usually from Wednesday to Sunday, as part of the FIFA Fan Festival. (Ben Nelms\/CBC)<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Granville Street and downtown<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The rest of Vancouver&#8217;s downtown core is likely to be filled with soccer fans \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/british-columbia\/granville-street-pedestrian-only-fifa-world-cup-9.7114931\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:especially Granville Street;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;especially Granville Street&quot;}\" class=\"link \">especially Granville Street<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Five blocks of Granville Street, from West Georgia Street in the north to Davie Street in the south, will be pedestrian-only from June 11 to July 20.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Transit buses travelling through Granville Street will be re-routed to Seymour and Howe streets, and supported by &#8220;new 24\/7 bus lanes&#8221; that will run for the duration of the program, the city says.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Other areas with bars and restaurants that are set to show World Cup games include a stretch near the Yaletown-Roundhouse SkyTrain station and Gastown.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Other busy areas<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">While crowds will pack downtown Vancouver, especially on matchdays, it&#8217;s likely busy streets around the city \u2014 like Commercial Drive, Main Street and Broadway \u2014 will also be packed with crowds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Communities like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.richmond.ca\/city-hall\/news\/2026\/rmdcelebratessoccer21apr2026.htm\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Richmond;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Richmond&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Richmond<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.surrey.ca\/news-events\/news\/surrey-soccer-fan-zones-host-free-live-broadcasts-of-world-cup-26tm-games-summer\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Surrey;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Surrey&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Surrey<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coquitlam.ca\/1461\/Summer-of-Soccer-in-Coquitlam\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Coquitlam;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Coquitlam&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Coquitlam<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/news.gov.bc.ca\/releases\/2026TACS0020-000332\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:others around the province;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;others around the province&quot;}\" class=\"link \">others around the province<\/a> will also be putting on their own screening events and soccer-specific festivals throughout the summer \u2014 largely in their city centres or nearby parks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Metro Vancouver is likely to draw throngs of soccer fans and revellers this summer as part of the&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":54652,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[24262,24263,13990,24264,24265,563,95,24266],"class_list":["post-54651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-vancouver","tag-city-of-vancouver","tag-crowds","tag-east-vancouver","tag-hastings-park","tag-host-committee","tag-metro-vancouver","tag-vancouver","tag-wheelchair-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54651"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54651\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}