Signs of the FIFA World Cup are slowly beginning to emerge in Vancouver and Toronto — literally.
Windows at the former Hudson’s Bay flagship store in downtown Vancouver now don the tournament’s logo in a variety of colours with the words “We are Vancouver.” Billboards proclaiming that “the beautiful game is coming to Toronto” have popped up among the city’s snowy streets.
Tuesday marks 100 days until the tournament kicks off with matches in Mexico City and Guadalajara, and as the games approach, organizers in both Canadian host cities are finalizing preparations.
“I think we’re on track to successfully host the World Cup,” said Jessie Adcock, Vancouver’s host committee lead and chief delivery officer. “And we’re really proud about all of the preparations here and we’re looking forward to showcasing the city and the province and Canada on the global stage.”
Reaching the 100-days-out milestone is exciting, said Sharon Bollenbach, Toronto’s executive director for the tournament.
“We feel good about where we are in preparations,” she said. “Lots to do over the next 100 days, but excited to get there and welcome all these amazing visitors to our city.”
Toronto will host six games, starting with Canada’s first match on June 12.
Vancouver will stage seven, beginning with a matchup between Australia and a yet-to-be determined opponent on June 13.
In total, the expanded tournament will feature 48 countries competing in 104 games in 16 cities across Canada, Mexico and the United States from June 11 through July 19.
Organizers from all 16 host cities have been co-ordinating their plans, Adcock said, and Vancouver has worked especially closely with Toronto to create a “uniquely Canadian experience.”
Work on hosting the World Cup has been underway for years, with various levels of government contributing millions of dollars to the cause.
The B.C. government has pegged the total cost for the seven games in Vancouver at between $532 million and $624 million, while the price tag for the Toronto portion of the tournament is estimated at $380 million.
That cost includes a $146-million renovation of BMO Field, which will be renamed Toronto Stadium at Exhibition Place during the event. The facelift includes the addition of 17,000 temporary seats that will bring the facility’s capacity up to the FIFA minimum of 45,000.
A $196-million upgrade is also underway at B.C. Place. Renovations to the 55,000-seat stadium, owned and operated by provincial Crown corporation PavCo, include new elevators, upgraded locker rooms and lighting, and revamped hospitality areas. Construction on the stadium’s temporary grass will begin April 26.
For organizers such as Adcock and Bollenbach, much of the work up until now has been planning. Now, as the countdown clock ticks toward June’s kickoff, another phase is beginning.
“Now that we’re approaching [the tournament] we’ll be able to take those plans and start to deploy them into the actual community itself,” Adcock said.
Details for the free fan festival at the brand-new PNE Amphitheatre are being firmed up, she said, but the festivities will include live broadcasts of games, food and a variety of activities.
Organizers are also working with residents and businesses near B.C. place, communicating what they can expect during the tournament.
“What I’m really excited about is making sure that we celebrate the beautiful game, and that we ensure that everybody, whether they’re a visitor or whether they’re a resident, that they have an opportunity to be a part of it and to create lifelong memories and ultimately, be really proud of the job that we did here in Vancouver,” Adcock said.
After learning which countries will be playing in Vancouver in early December, organizers in Toronto began reaching out to consular groups from the various nations and, on Tuesday, those countries will be part of the city’s 100-day countdown celebration.
“They were all 100 per cent on board for showcasing their culture and their community and their people and their food,” Bollenbach said. “It’s really going to be a cultural celebration.”
Those countries will also be represented at Toronto’s fan fest at Fort York this summer, she added, as will a variety of other nations.
The city is also spending $1.7 million in grants to sponsor about 60 community celebrations around the city during the tournament.
“We know that Toronto does that anyway during the World Cup, whether we’re hosting or not, and so we really wanted to embrace that,” Bollenbach said.
Signs that the World Cup is on its way will only increase over the next 100 days.
Toronto has held off on putting up the majority of its signage so far, but that, too, will soon change.
“It was is intentionally done to kind of hold off on doing some of that until we got closer, until we get through winter and we can really turn into spring here, with the World Cup full steam ahead, and the city starting to build that energy leading into June,” Bollenbach said.
“It was a conscious effort about when we wanted to start that and roll that out.”
