Vancouver kicks off its FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign on June 13, hosting seven matches at BC Place Stadium.
But for Australian fans making the trip, the city and surrounding province of British Columbia offer far more than football.
In The City
The FIFA Fan Festival at the PNE Grounds at Hastings Park runs from June 11 to July 19, with giant screens showing every match, live music from more than 120 artists, street food from around the world and a full family activity zone. Entry is free.
Elsewhere in Vancouver, Granville Island offers a free waterfront viewing zone, Science World has been transformed into a 360-degree recreation of the official match ball and Capilano Suspension Bridge Park will fly the flags of eight competing nations.
Adventure
Two hours north along the Sea to Sky Highway, Whistler Mountain Bike Park offers world-leading downhill terrain across more than 80 kilometres of trails.
Further afield, the new Revelstoke Skywalk features a 75.5-metre suspension bridge above the Columbia Valley within one of the world’s only inland temperate rainforests.
Wellness
Less than an hour from Vancouver by public transit, Bowen Island offers a complete escape with yoga retreats, forest bathing and Nordic spa experiences.
Victoria, accessible by a two-hour ferry with whale-watching along the way, offers Nordic spas, botanical gardens and guided rainforest hikes.
Food And Wine
Kelowna, Canada’s first UNESCO City of Gastronomy, pairs vineyard cycling on the Westside Wine Trail with farm-to-table dining.
The Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island is North America’s first Cittaslow community, combining boutique wineries with foraging workshops and biodynamic farm experiences.
Culture
The Klahoose Wilderness Resort, the closest wilderness lodge to Vancouver, offers Indigenous-led journeys to an ancestral village site, cedar weaving and traditional ceremonies, with several packages aligned to World Cup match dates.
