'Bigger than Olympics': Vancouver mayor says FIFA World Cup games will be 'massive'

With Vancouver scheduled to host seven FIFA World Cup games in 2026, the city's mayor says preparations are well under way for what he expects to be a "massive" event.

With Vancouver scheduled to host seven FIFA World Cup games in 2026, the city's mayor says preparations are well under way for what he expects to be a "massive" event.

Mayor Ken Sim spoke on CTV Morning Live Monday, sharing his excitement over Vancouver's allotment of games. Sim said he originally expected the city to get five matches. 

"I don't think people realize how good this is," he said, adding that he's "so over the moon happy." Sim explained there are two home games for Canada on the schedule, as well as games in the round of 32 and round of 16.

Sim said the Canadian Soccer Association, the city, province and Vancouver International Airport are "on fire" getting prepared for the event, which is two-and-a-half years away. The province estimates the games could pump as much as $1 billion into the B.C. economy.

"Make no mistake about it, this is going to be massive. We have seven games, we're going to be on the world stage," Sim said. "People think that each game is equivalent to a Super Bowl and they're completely mistaken."

Sim pointed to average viewership for the Super Bowl, which he said is an estimated 115 million people. By comparison, Sim told CTV Morning Live the average viewership for an opening round World Cup game is about 350 million. According to statistics shared by FIFA, the 2022 opening match in Qatar had a global reach of "over 550 million." 

"We are literally going to get the equivalent of 30 to 40 Super Bowls in the city of Vancouver over the course of a month," Sim said. "It is going to be way bigger than Olympics and it's going to showcase Vancouver on a global stage."