New renderings of BC Place Stadium renovations ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup

New video board, elevators, and fan zones: How BC Place Stadium will be upgraded for the FIFA World Cup

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"Like for like" replacement set for BC Place Stadium's centre video board

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Altogether, the pre-World Cup upgrades represent the most significant refresh of BC Place since its multi-phase renovation that began just before the 2010 Winter Olympics and culminated in 2011 with the installation of the retractable roof and other major enhancements. This latest round of improvements not only replaces some of those earlier hospitality space upgrades, but also modernizes areas and facilities that were not included in the previous renovation more than a decade and a half ago.

The existing food court on Level 1 will be rebuilt into an expansive, field-level reception and lounge area, featuring an enclosed, temperature-controlled space with a private bar, dedicated washrooms, and convenient access from select areas of the lower bowl. There will also be television screens throughout this lounge to provide live event coverage.

Overall, this “Field Club Lounge” will have a capacity of 750 people or over 1,000 people when connected with existing adjacent ballrooms, and it will be accessible through a dedicated premium entrance off Terry Fox Plaza. The space will also sit directly beside the new player tunnel entrances that athletes will use during the FIFA World Cup.

Previous condition of the Level 1 food court:

Future condition of the Level 1 food court transformed into the Field Club:

Another new space is the “Corner Club,” which will have expansive floor-to-ceiling views of False Creek and direct sightlines to the bowl through expansive windows and balcony access. This will be a premium hosting area during events, but it will also function independently for conferences, conventions, banquets, meetings, and other special events. About 600 people can fit into this space, and there will be exterior elevator access, a dedicated check-in desk, and a secondary suite-level access from the Southeast Lounge.

Additionally, the existing Edgewater Lounge will be renovated into a premium bar and fan zone experience, with a configuration that enables it to be flexible for use with access from the bowl or closed off for private events. This space can also be independently used for flexible conference and event spaces.

The new Field Club and renovated Edgewater Lounge will reach completion in Spring 2026, while the Corner Club will reach completion in Fall 2025. These upgrades are required by FIFA.

Work on the FIFA-related stadium upgrades has been ongoing for some time, including the previous relocation of BC Sports Hall of Fame’s collections storage space to a new purpose-built, museum-calibre secure storage area within a lower bowl of the stadium. This has enabled the creation of new and expanded spectator areas.

Existing condition of the Edgewater Lounge:

Future condition of the Edgewater Lounge:

The artistic renderings of other upgrades and renovations to the stadium will be released over the coming months.

Considerable temporary FIFA-branded “look of the tournament” decorations are also expected to be installed in and around the venue.

BC Place Stadium is owned by the provincial government and operated by Crown corporation Pavco, which also operates the Vancouver Convention Centre. To achieve the renovations, Pavco is working with local firm ETRO Construction.

Other upgrades for the stadium in time for the tournament include a new replacement of the aging centre video board, accessibility upgrades with new and improved elevators, and renovations of the outdated team changerooms, which were not previously improved during the stadium’s last renovations. Following FIFA’s specifications, a natural grass pitch will also be installed, but it has yet to be determined whether this could be a permanent fixture of the multi-functional stadium for sports, concerts, exhibitions, trade shows, conventions, and other major events.

As of June 2025, the costs for BC Place Stadium’s capital upgrades and tournament-time operational costs are estimated at between $171 million and $181 million. The stadium upgrades are funded by the provincial and federal governments.

This is the stadium’s largest event since hosting the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies. It also previously had a key role in the hosting of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with the city staging nine matches, including the championship final match.

For the 2026 FIFA World Cup, BC Place Stadium will host a total of seven matches, including five group stage matches and two highly coveted knockout matches — a Round of 32 match and a Round of 16 match.

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