Vancouver joins list of 19 cities to host both Olympics and men's FIFA World Cup
Vancouver might be one of the world’s best hosts when it comes to international sporting events.
The city is coming off a wildly successful 2026 FIFA World Cup, where Vancouver was one of two Canadian hosts alongside Toronto. This was the first time the men’s tournament was played on Canadian soil, and the city impressed with a total of seven matches being hosted at BC Place over the course of three and a half weeks.
The excitement around the city was palpable, featuring fans marching to each match with unrivalled enthusiasm and players from across the world praising Vancouver.
LET’S GO 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/nbWS9XGnYJ
— Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) June 24, 2026
It once again showed the world that Vancouver is capable of being a fantastic host for large international sporting events. Another example of the city doing this came 16 years ago, during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
That wound up being a magical event for athletes across the globe and was a massive success.
Vancouver 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremony at BC Place. (International Olympic Committee)
A city hosting both the men’s World Cup and the Olympics is not that common. In fact, Vancouver has joined an exclusive club of just 19 cities around the world that have done the same.
It’s even rarer to host the Winter Olympics and World Cup, with just Vancouver, Turin, Milan, Sapporo, and Sochi doing so.
Here is a complete list of every city that has hosted both world-class sporting events:
- VancouverÂ
- FIFA World Cup: 2026
- Winter Olympics: 2010
- Atlanta
- FIFA World Cup: 2026
- Summer Olympics: 1996
- Milan
- FIFA World Cup: 1934, 1990
- Winter Olympics: 2026
- Sochi
- FIFA World Cup: 2018
- Winter Olympics: 2014
- Moscow
- FIFA World Cup: 2018
- Summer Olympics: 1980
- Rio de Janeiro
- FIFA World Cup: 1950, 2014
- Summer Olympics: 2016
- Turin
- FIFA World Cup: 1934, 1990
- Winter Olympics: 2006
- Tokyo
- FIFA World Cup: 2002
- Summer Olympics: 1964, 2020
- Seoul
- FIFA World Cup: 2002
- Summer Olympics: 1988
- Sapporo
- FIFA World Cup: 2002
- Winter Olympics: 1972
- Los Angeles
- FIFA World Cup: 1994, 2026
- Summer Olympics: 1932, 1984
- Barcelona
- FIFA World Cup: 1982
- Summer Olympics: 1992
- Berlin
- FIFA World Cup: 1974, 2006
- Summer Olympics: 1936
- Munich
- FIFA World Cup: 1974, 2006
- Summer Olympics: 1972
- Mexico City
- FIFA World Cup: 1970, 1986, 2026
- Summer Olympics: 1968
- London
- FIFA World Cup: 1966
- Summer Olympics: 1908, 1948, 2012
- Rome
- FIFA World Cup: 1934, 1990
- Summer Olympics: 1960
- Stockholm
- FIFA World Cup: 1958
- Summer Olympics: 1912
- Paris
- FIFA World Cup: 1938, 1998
- Summer Olympics: 1900, 2024
That list includes some of the most iconic cities in the world, and Vancouver now sits beside them in this exclusive club.
It goes to show just how impressive Vancouver is on the world’s stage, and it’s become a matter of when, not if, those two events will eventually return to Canada’s West Coast.