Vancouver's first FIFA World Cup decorations go up at former Hudson's Bay building | Daily Hive

Vancouver's first FIFA World Cup decorations go up outside former Hudson's Bay building

FIFA World Cup dressings installed onto the empty storefronts of the former Hudson's Bay Vancouver flagship store building. (Kenneth Chan)

Vancouver is beginning to look like a 2026 FIFA World Cup host city, literally.

The vacant storefronts of the former Hudson’s Bay flagship store in downtown Vancouver have been given a temporary visual update with the installation of official FIFA World Cup branding.

Large printed panels and signage were plastered across the building’s windows early this week, replacing the empty displays that have been in place since the department store closed in June 2025. From the sidewalk, the prints cover much the glass, drawing attention to the upcoming tournament at this busy area for pedestrians, buses, and general vehicle traffic.

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This is the largest installation since Vancouver’s official giant countdown clock for the tournament was unveiled at Terry Fox Plaza outside BC Place Stadium and began ticking down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds during the one-year countdown last June.

These dressings on the former Hudson’s Bay storefront are also among the very first tournament-time decoration installations in the public realm.

Upon inquiry, the City of Vancouver, which is acting as the local organizing committee for the FIFA World Cup in Vancouver, told Daily Hive Urbanized today that the installation of event-related signage and city-dressing installations using official tournament branding standards began this month, and will continue to ramp up over the coming months.

“These installations help build excitement for the event and contribute to an inviting, animated atmosphere across the city,” the City told Daily Hive Urbanized.

fifa world cup branding hudsons bay vancouver

FIFA World Cup dressings installed onto the empty storefronts of the former Hudson’s Bay Vancouver flagship store building. (Kenneth Chan)

However, the municipal government said the former Hudson’s Bay store will not be converted into a temporary official FIFA merchandise store. In the lead-up to the 2010 Winter Olympics, about 21,000 sq. ft. of the department store’s ground level was turned into VANOC’s official “Olympic Megastore,” selling a wide range of Vancouver 2010 merchandise.

Organizers have previously indicated there will be a FIFA merchandise store at the FIFA Fan Festival at the PNE fairgrounds in Hastings Park, but it remains unclear whether there will be any other store locations within downtown Vancouver outside the BC Place Stadium spectator area.

Late last fall, as part of the ongoing process of dissolving the former retailer’s assets, the sprawling building was listed for sale for its immense redevelopment potential. The building’s long basement corridor for SkyTrain’s Granville Station also recently saw an uplift from the installation of a civic pride mural that covers the department store’s interior windows, a partnership between TransLink and Downtown Van (the local business improvement association for downtown Vancouver).

FIFA World Cup dressings installed onto the empty storefronts of the former Hudson’s Bay Vancouver flagship store building. (Kenneth Chan)

There will be extensive FIFA-branded decorations, dressings, and signage in and around downtown Vancouver, especially around the stadium, as well as at the PNE, Vancouver International Airport, and other sites such as the training facilities at Killarney Park and the National Soccer Development Centre at the University of British Columbia.

The City is also in the process of designing, planning, and manufacturing a permanent three-dimensional, giant VANCOUVER letter sign that will be installed at the entrance plaza into Canada Place. Its installation is anticipated for late spring, just in time for the tournament, but it is completely separate from the FIFA branding efforts.

For the 2010 Olympics, VANOC had extensive “Look of the City” decoration plans for Vancouver and Whistler Village. However, nearly all of the $35 million it had set aside for such expenses to add to the Olympic atmosphere was cut due to the recession at the time.

But private property owners also took the initiative to install decorations of their own during the Games, with Hudson’s Bay covering the facade of its department store building with giant banners featuring images of athletes. The exterior of the nearby Rosewood Hotel Georgia construction site, with the heritage building similarly vacant at the time, was plastered with a giant Canadian flag, while the exterior facade of the upper half of the TD Tower was covered with Olympic sponsor branding by Samsung, featuring the Vancouver 2010 mascots.

vancouver fifa 2026 world cup countdown clock bc place stadium terry fox plaza f

Vancouver’s official 2026 FIFA World Cup countdown clock installed outside BC Place Stadium at Terry Fox Plaza. (Kenneth Chan)

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