A look inside BC Place Stadium after all of its FIFA World Cup upgrades | Daily Hive

Natural grass installed at BC Place Stadium, as seen on May 13, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

Before the end of this week, provincial Crown corporation PavCo will hand over the operations of BC Place Stadium to FIFA organizers as preparations enter the final phase ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The last time the stadium was handed over to a third party for exclusive operational control over an extended period was in the lead-up to the 2010 Winter Olympics, when VANOC assumed control of the venue in November 2009 to begin preparations for the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies.

The FIFA World Cup preparations are also the 1983-built stadium’s first major round of upgrades in roughly 15 years. The venue last underwent significant improvements ahead of the Olympics, followed by a second much larger phase of work with the installation of the new retractable roof, seating replacement, and a series of other extensive renovations fully completed in 2011.

The start of the five-week-long tournament across North America kicks off in just under 30 days, and the final finishing touches on the various stadium enhancements are now in the process of being fully completed.

Outside the stadium this week, cleaning crews were even seen using special drones to remove grime and dirt from the exterior concrete bowl.

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On Tuesday, PavCo — joined by Premier David Eby and B.C. Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Anne Kang — held a press conference showcasing the upgrades, with the newly installed FIFA-calibre natural grass field serving as the backdrop. Media were also provided with a tour of the venue improvements.

In an interview with Daily Hive Urbanized, BC Place Stadium general manager Chris May says the combined capital (construction) and tournament operating costs for the venue are within the established budget envelope of between $171 million and $181 million for the work.

There were a wide range of venue requirements specified by FIFA, but he says they were thoughtfully fulfilled in a way that provides the stadium with useful post-tournament legacies of expanding and improving its hospitality offerings — specifically, the expansion of premium viewing experiences for the stadium’s anchor sports tenants of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the BC Lions, and creating new and improved multifunctional spaces for small non-spectacle events.

The most significant new hospitality space is the Corner Club at the southeast corner of the stadium — a large open ballroom-like space framed by floor-to-ceiling window views of Southeast False Creek and Science World’s geodesic dome, and direct sightlines to the stadium bowl through expansive, continuous floor-to-ceiling glass walls and balcony access.

The footprint of the Corner Club was previously used for storage space and unused offices.

bc place stadium fifa world cup preparations may 12 2026

Corner Club; BC Place Stadium, as seen on May 12, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

Edgewater Lounge; BC Place Stadium, as seen on May 12, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

Immediately adjacent to the Corner Club is the new Edgewater Lounge — a premium bar and fan zone experience overlooking the stadium bowl that can also be used for meeting spaces or private hosting areas.

The Corner Club and Edgewater Lounge combined provides the stadium with the great additional ability to hold conferences and meetings for up to about 500 people, with proper breakout rooms, food service areas, and a new direct elevator to these spaces from Pacific Boulevard. Both spaces on the rim of the upper bowl are completely climate controlled, separated from the cavernous stadium.

Down below, on the field level, the former food court space has now been completely transformed into the Field Club, providing a new large reception and lounge area. This is now a space that can hold events, meetings, and even smaller concerts for up to approximately 500 people, and it is also strategically adjacent to the stadium’s existing ballrooms, which were completely renovated as a part of this project.

The Field Club is also now a fully enclosed space with dividing walls and climate controlled, and its ability to host its own events is also enhanced by the construction of a significant number of additional washrooms. During the FIFA World Cup, the player’s tunnel will run through this area.

It is worth noting that some of these spaces were previously upgraded as part of the stadium’s renovations a decade and a half ago.

Across all three of these spaces, multiple events can be held completely separately at the same time, generating new revenue for the stadium. PavCo is highly familiar with such spaces, as it also operates Vancouver Convention Centre.

Previous condition:

Previous food court on Level 1 at BC Place Stadium. (Kenneth Chan)

New condition:

Field Club; BC Place Stadium, as seen on May 13, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

Additionally, the renovations — designed specifically with stadium spectator events in mind — have introduced The Tribune, a newly upgraded premium hospitality space featuring renovated suites with private washrooms, as well as a dedicated lounge and bar for pre-event activities such as dining, networking, and receptions. The space also includes an enclosed viewing platform with direct sightlines to the field and concert stage.

In total, three new elevators have been built to improve capacity and accessibility, and renovations have been made to washrooms.

Further changes have also been made to the stadium’s Gate H entrance area adjacent to Terry Fox Plaza. A bank of former ticket booths — rendered largely obsolete by the rise of online ticketing — has been removed and reconfigured into a dedicated entrance for the stadium’s premium hospitality experiences, according to May.

Something the stadium previously did not have was dedicated merchandise store space for stadium events. That has now been built near Gate H, next to Terry Fox Plaza.

For the stadium’s sports matches, the most significant upgrade made for that use is the complete overhaul of the team showers, bathrooms, and locker rooms. Previously, these facilities next to the dedicated spaces for the Whitecaps and BC Lions areas were highly antiquated open wet room shower spaces — first built in 1983 when the stadium was completed, and unmodified during the stadium’s previous major renovations from 2008 to 2011.

This is now a brand new space, with individualized private showers, bathroom units, and locker rooms.

Previous condition:

Previous shower area in the shared players’ change room at BC Place Stadium. (Kenneth Chan)

New condition:

New team changerooms; BC Place Stadium, as seen on May 12, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

The media broadcast facilities, including the broadcast control rom, has been reconfigured and improved with modern technology. As well, WiFi throughout the stadium has been upgraded to help ensure improved coverage and speed for media and guests.

Of course, the most visible sports-related upgrade to the stadium — albeit a temporary one — is the installation of a natural grass pitch built to FIFA’s strict specifications for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

May told Daily Hive Urbanized that work on the natural pitch began on April 26, the day after the Whitecaps’ final home match before their break from the venue due to the tournament. The final section of grass was laid on the afternoon of May 9, completing the installation in just 14 days.

Crews first installed the stadium’s hard concert flooring over the permanent artificial turf. Protective material was then placed on top, followed by layers of dirt.

The completed grass pitch now sits roughly 18 inches above the artificial turf. The soil system includes integrated irrigation and vacuum ventilation technology. The grass itself was grown in the Fraser Valley, the installation company is based in Langley, and the project’s designers and consultants are from Burnaby.

During the media tour, reporters also saw six large grow-light rigs spanning large sections of the field to provide supplemental lighting and support the health of the grass. Because the turf arrived at the stadium in sod rolls, the grow lights will help the surface knit together over the next four weeks ahead of BC Place Stadium’s first FIFA World Cup match on June 13 between Australia and Turkey.

The first vertical posts supporting the goal structures have also now been installed.

Natural grass installed at BC Place Stadium, as seen on May 13, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

New centre-suspended video board and temporary removal of seats for media tribune; BC Place Stadium, as seen on May 13, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

Natural grass installed at BC Place Stadium, as seen on May 13, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

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Above the pitch, the stadium now features a brand-new, like-for-like replacement of its centre-suspended video board. The previous display, installed 15 years ago as part of the stadium’s last major retrofit, had reached the end of its service life and was becoming increasingly unreliable.

When asked whether the stadium’s retractable roof would be open or closed during matches, May said the decision will ultimately rest with FIFA, depending on the condition of the playing surface and factors such as humidity, wind, and the potential for rain.

It is also worth noting that three of the stadium’s seven tournament matches are scheduled for later in the evening, when natural light will be limited: the June 13 match at 9 p.m., the June 26 match between Belgium and New Zealand at 8 p.m., and the July 2 round-of-32 knockout match at 8 p.m. On these dates, the sun will set at roughly 9:20 p.m.

The remaining four matches are scheduled to begin in the early afternoon, mid-afternoon, or early evening.

While the tournament final will be held on July 19 in New York/New Jersey, BC Place Stadium’s final match of the tournament will be a round-of-16 knockout match on July 7.

Merchandise store; BC Place Stadium, as seen on May 13, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

New elevators; BC Place Stadium, as seen on May 13, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

The Tribune; BC Place Stadium, as seen on May 13, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

Corner Club; BC Place Stadium, as seen on May 13, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

After the natural grass is removed, new artificial turf will be installed — just in time for the stadium’s first events of the BC Lions match against the Toronto Argonauts on July 25 and the Whitecaps match against Los Angeles FC on Aug. 1. The existing turf was installed in early 2022, which replaced previous turf that went in just before the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Upper bowl seating in the general area of sections 412 to 415 are also in the process of being temporarily removed to install the tournament’s media tribune. After the tournament, the seats will be reinstalled. As a result, May notes that the stadium’s capacity net of media will be reduced to about 52,000 to 53,000 seats during the tournament — down from 54,500.

In total, over 350,000 spectators are expected at BC Place Stadium during the FIFA World Cup.

The Whitecaps and BC Lions are not the only tenants to be temporarily displaced from their home; the BC Sports Hall of Fame will temporarily vacate its museum space until after the tournament. The stadium renovation project also included building a purpose-designed, museum-calibre secure storage space beneath the lower bowl of the stadium for the organization’s use.

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