Who here is ready for one of the biggest events that has ever come to Canada? I hope you are, because I am VERY ready for it. Yes, I’m talking about the World Cup, simply the event that will stop the world and obviously Canada. For those who, like me, don’t know how it was possible for the year 2025 to pass so quickly, which means that 2026 is already right around the corner.

(Jarmoluk/Pixabay)

I, being Brazilian and coming from a place that breathes soccer, know that Canada is not the first place that comes to my mind when I think about the sport, and not because I don’t think soccer is important here, but because there are so many other countries that think the same way a Brazilian thinks, that I end up forgetting about it. But I really think that in recent years, Vancouver has been opening up more and more to the sport and people are embracing the idea. Many times, during Whitecaps games, the upper tier of the stadium wouldn’t even open due to a lack of people to fill the space, and now we can see several games with the stadium filling up more and more.

And with 2026 being so close to us, people all over the world are already starting to prepare and feel the excitement that a World Cup can bring, which in my view, means that for us the excitement is much greater, we live in one of the countries that will host this event, isn’t that great?

The 2026 World Cup will be hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States and for the first time in history 3 countries will share this responsibility together. Of 16 host cities, in Canada we will only have two, Toronto and Vancouver, with some games at Toronto Stadium and others at BC Place.

BC Place, which brings a lot of history to our city, has hosted gigantic shows with Coldplay, record-breaking by the Whitecaps like their victory against Inter Miami, and the player Messi, and was also the stage for the Women’s World Cup in 2015.

The World Cup is one of the most fun events you could have. It’s a moment when, even if you don’t agree with everything that’s happening in your country or don’t know a single person walking down the street next to you, when it comes to all the people in an entire country cheering for the same team, for the same goal, the feeling is incredible. It’s a happiness that’s hard to describe.

So I’ll give you a tip: be prepared, mentally and physically. Vancouver will be upside down in a good way. There will be traffic, there will be crowded streets, but I’m sure everyone will be having fun. It’s impossible not to be happy with the World Cup.

2026 is almost here, and Vancouver is already ready to make history.