While the FIFA 2026 World Cup is being touted as an economic boon for the City of Vancouver, it may not work out that way for some businesses close to the marquee venue.
That’s according to a clause in the Host City Agreement, recently obtained and published by independent journalist Bob Mackin of The Breaker News after a three-year battle.
The contract requires the city to establish a “controlled area” located “directly adjacent to the outer stadium perimeter and in which certain commercial and other activities are prohibited on match days and the days prior to match days.”
The contract requires signage in the controlled area to be removed or covered, and restricts the public sale of food and beverages along with souvenirs, in order to protect the rights of FIFA’s corporate partners.
That’s potentially bad news for business owners like Ismet Yetisen, who runs the Boston Pizza on Beaty Street, right next door to BC Place.
Yetisen told Global News he’d been banking on the World Cup as a big opportunity for his restaurant.
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“We want to make sure that we are opening every single day until 2 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 3 a.m. Not only for our guests that go in, but the guests that come out,” he said.
“My business is right next to one of the biggest stadiums in Canada. And obviously it brings a lot of income to me, but at the same time it brings lots of friends, and it brings out the people that eventually want to come back.”
Details about the size and scope of the controlled area remain unclear; the Host City Agreement calls for details about the area to be hammered out for each participating stadium individually.
But options will likely be limited in Vancouver’s case, given the fact that BC Place is nestled in the heart of downtown Vancouver, rather than surrounded by large parking lots like some other North American venues.
“It makes sense to have an exclusionary zone, we are talking about a high-profile event. We have even learned in the City of Vancouver recently why security really matters, so that is really a no-brainer,” said Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, referring to the recent Lapu Lapu Day festival vehicle ramming attack.
“We are very attuned to the fact that it will have some impact on businesses, and we get the opportunity to look ahead and work with the local businesses to turn this into an opportunity for them as well, but those conversations are going to be ongoing, and we are going to work through it.”
Other clauses in the agreement call for significant road closures in the area around BC Place, and for “host city beautification,” particularly near the stadium and the fan fest zone.
Yetisen, meanwhile, remains hopeful the city can come to an agreement with FIFA that won’t see him and other nearby businesses shut out of what could be a golden opportunity.
“Hopefully it won’t happen, because if it does happen, obviously it’s not good,” he said.
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