Public transit was the backbone of Metro Vancouver's FIFA World Cup experience | Daily Hive

Public transit proved to be the backbone of Metro Vancouver's FIFA World Cup experience

FIFA World Cup decorations outside the historic CPR building of Waterfront Station in Downtown Vancouver. (Kenneth Chan)

Metro Vancouver’s public transit system recorded more than 600,000 additional boardings during the seven FIFA World Cup match days held at BC Place Stadium, according to preliminary figures released by TransLink today.

Across the seven match days, the system handled 8.16 million boardings, compared with an estimated 7.55 million that would typically have been expected. That works out to an average of 1.17 million boardings per match day — about 87,000 more than usual or an increase of over eight per cent.

The busiest day was June 24, when Canada played Switzerland at BC Place Stadium. TransLink recorded nearly 1.4 million boardings that day, its highest daily ridership total in more than six years. Overall, the total number of boardings translated into 860,000 daily trips, representing complete public transit journeys from origin to destination, including transfers.

You might also like:

The effect was especially pronounced near BC Place Stadium. SkyTrain stations near the venue experienced an average ridership increase of 54 per cent on match days, reaching levels not seen in the area since the 2010 Winter Olympics.

“Transit was the backbone of Metro Vancouver’s World Cup experience, and each day there were thousands of employees working around the clock to move extraordinary crowds while keeping the region running,” said TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn in a statement.

“They planned for nearly two years, adapted in real time, and delivered one of the strongest transit operations in our history. Their work connected people to matches, celebrations, restaurants, hotels, and destinations across the region, fuelling the economy beyond the tournament.”

By comparison, the 2010 Olympics saw about 1.27 million trips on its busiest day, which remains the all-time daily ridership record for Metro Vancouver’s public transit system.

The tournament generated strong ridership numbers, though nowhere near the sustained levels recorded during the 2010 Winter Olympics — an expected difference from the outset, given that the FIFA World Cup is a significantly smaller logistical undertaking for any single host city.

Even so, the Olympics are still widely regarded as a major historic turning point in Metro Vancouver’s relationship with public transit. Many people who used the system during the Games continued riding it afterward, helping shift broader public attitudes toward public transit. That change was further reinforced by the completion and opening of SkyTrain’s Canada Line just months before the Olympics.

During the FIFA World Cup, SkyTrain absorbed much of the additional demand. Average daily SkyTrain boardings rose from about 412,000 on a typical day to 487,000 on match days, representing an increase of over 18 per cent.

SeaBus recorded the largest percentage increase, with average daily boardings climbing by more than 35 per cent — from approximately 17,000 to 23,000.

skytrain main street science world station fifa world cup vancouver canada june 18 2026 f

Canadian fans marching next to SkyTrain’s Main Street-Science World Station, walking along Quebec Street to BC Place Stadium on June 18, 2026, for the FIFA World Cup match between Canada and Qatar. (Kenneth Chan)

translink stadium-chinatown skytrain station fifa world cup soccer ball f

A floating FIFA World Cup soccer ball next to SkyTrain’s Stadium-Chinatown Station on June 13, 2026. (Kenneth Chan)

Bus ridership saw a nominal increase, increasing by 0.9 per cent from 640,000 to 646,000 average daily boardings.

West Coast Express remained at about 5,000 boardings per day, although TransLink did deploy a few special weekend runs for the commuter rail service, which typically only operates on weekday peak periods in the peak direction only.

The number of unique daily customers also increased by 10.6 per cent, rising from an average of 358,000 on typical days to 396,000 on match days.

Public transit use remained elevated even when no matches were being played in Vancouver. TransLink estimates non-match days generated about 44,000 additional daily boardings, an increase of over four per cent, as residents and visitors travelled to the FIFA Fan Festival at the PNE in Hastings Park, Granville Street Pedestrian Zone, Canada Soccer House at The Shipyards, the TSN/CTV live match screenings at Jack Poole Plaza, other live match screenings and fan events, hotels, restaurants, and other destinations.

More than one million people used the public transit system during each of the first four weeks of FIFA World Cup activities, including over 100,000 additional passengers per week compared with normal conditions.

Christine Sinclair’s FIFA World Cup voice announcement onboard #SkyTrain‘s Canada Line just before arriving at Waterfront Station. 🚇🇨🇦⚽ #FIFAWorldCup #WeAre26 #WeAreVancouver 2/4https://t.co/dlv7MEl3Mh pic.twitter.com/l7pHend0w3

— Kenneth Chan (@iamkennethchan) June 15, 2026

Data from the four hours before each game shows spectators travelled to the BC Place Stadium area from across the region.

The combined area of the city of Vancouver and the University of British Columbia — excluding Downtown Vancouver — accounted for the largest share at 24 per cent, followed by Burnaby at 18 per cent. Downtown Vancouver represented another 15 per cent, while Surrey and Richmond each accounted for 13 per cent.

The Tri-Cities (Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Port Moody) generated six per cent of trips, with the North Shore (West Vancouver, North Vancouver City, and North Vancouver District) and New Westminster each contributing five per cent.

Scott Road Station was the most common starting SkyTrain station for trips to BC Place Stadium, averaging about 13,500 match-day boardings. It was followed by Metrotown Station at 12,100, Waterfront Station at 11,600, Bridgeport Station at 10,300, and King George Station at 10,000.

Other major starting points included Burrard Station, Joyce-Collingwood Station, Granville Station, YVR-Airport Station, and Richmond-Brighouse Station.

TransLink added services throughout the tournament to accommodate both FIFA World Cup crowds and regular commuters. This included launching the temporary new No. 11 FIFA Fan Festival Express bus service along Renfrew Street between 29th Avenue Station and the PNE’s Pacific Coliseum entrance, with the highly frequent service using articulated buses and making just one stop at Renfrew Station along the way. The No. 11 operates on the 28 select days the fan festival is open, with service beginning two hours before the fairground gates open and continuing until two hours after closing.

Additional frontline employees were also stationed throughout the system to direct passengers and provide travel information.

The City of Vancouver’s FIFA Host Committee provided TransLink with $21.6 million in funding to implement new and improved service during the tournament, with this budget also covering the extensive wayfinding signage and decorations found on the public transit system.

translink 11 fifa fan festival express bus renfrew station vancouver f

Long lines to board TransLink’s No. 11 FIFA Fan Festival Express bus route at SkyTrain’s Renfrew Station. (Kenneth Chan)

translink 11 fifa fan festival world cup 1

TransLink’s No. 11 FIFA Fan Festival Express bus at SkyTrain’s Renfrew Station. (Kenneth Chan)

translink pacific coliseum 11 fifa fan fest express bus

Wayfinding signage and queuing area for TransLink’s No. 11 FIFA Fan Festival Express bus at the Pacific Coliseum bus loop. (Kenneth Chan)

Despite the higher passenger volumes and temporary service changes, calls to TransLink’s Customer Information department fell by 7.6 per cent compared with June 2025. The public transit authority noted that the June call volume was its lowest for that month since 2022, suggesting most passengers were able to plan and complete their journeys without needing extra assistance.

The crowds did, however, lead to more misplaced belongings. More than 3,800 items were delivered to TransLink’s Lost Property Office in June, an increase of over 500 compared with the same month last year.

A digital tool introduced for the tournament will remain in place. Metro Vancouver residents and visitors will continue receiving free premium access to Transit Royale through the Transit app, providing expanded real-time information, trip planning features and unlimited departure schedules.

Transit app. (TransLink)

You might also like: