Will real grass force BC Place roof closed during FIFA World Cup? | Daily Hive

Ethan Cairns/Getty Images for FIFA

Natural grass will soon be installed inside BC Place for the FIFA World Cup, but will it come with a catch?

BC Place’s retractable roof will need to remain closed for the duration of the tournament, according to an article published recently in the Vancouver Sun. The “variation in light” is apparently an issue for the temporary, but natural surface.

That would seem less than ideal for fans attending the seven World Cup matches taking place at BC Place in June and July. Three of the seven Vancouver matches have afternoon start times, though the sun will still be shining to start evening matches, given the time of year.

Could they not crack the roof open for a few hours on match days?

In a response to a question from Daily Hive on the matter, a FIFA World Cup spokesperson left open the possibility that the roof could be open.

“The decision to open or close the roof at BC Place Vancouver during the FIFA World Cup 2026 will be determined by FIFA closer to match day(s),” the spokesperson said.

Natural grass was installed for Wrexham’s visit to BC Place in 2024 (Har Johal/Daily Hive)

BC Place has had a retractable roof since September 2011, when it reopened following $565-million renovations. It hosted multiple matches during the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015 with the roof open, though BC Place was allowed to keep its artificial turf for that tournament.

You might also like:

Vancouver’s FIFA World Cup match schedule

Hype is beginning to build for the World Cup, which begins in under 50 days.

Vancouver will become the epicentre of the global game even sooner, as the FIFA Congress takes place at the Vancouver Convention Centre on April 30.

Vancouver is one of 16 FIFA World Cup host cities across Canada, the United States, and Mexico, with the tournament running from June 11 to July 19.

Seven matches will be held at BC Place:

June 13: Australia vs. Türkiye
June 18: Canada vs. Qatar
June 21: New Zealand vs. Egypt
June 24: Switzerland vs. Canada
June 26: New Zealand vs. Belgium
July 2: Round of 32 match
July 7: Round of 16 match