According to a study by the Action Network, Vancouver is the number one host city in North America for the FIFA World Cup. While to locals, Vancouver may just be another city, the study accounted specifically for visitors, looking at categories that cater directly to travellers.
Wondering how and why Vancouver’s on top? Here are all the details that make our West Coast city so appealing to out-of-towners.
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The Best FIFA World Cup Host City
The study looked at five central categories that make a FIFA World Cup host city great. This includes: accessibility, cost, atmosphere, safety & weather, and hotel access. From this, Action Network created the World Cup Fan Experience Index that ranks all 16 host cities on a 0-100 scale.
“Higher-scoring cities offer… fans the strongest overall mix of convenience, affordability, atmosphere, safety, and hotel access,” explains the study.
On the index, Canada claims the top two spots. Vancouver comes in first place with Toronto following closely behind in second; and coincidentally, Vancouver’s downstairs neighbour Seattle is in third place. Seattle outranks all other U.S. cities with its global index score.
Vancouver’s Ranking
Vancouver scored a total of 82.2 points, a far margin ahead of Toronto with its score of 63.2.
The study notes that Vancouver received 98 points for its walkability, and with its 3.71 hotel density and average of 70.3°F (21.2°C) for matchday temperatures, it’s placed the city at the very top of the list. “Vancouver combines the easiest stadium-area movement with strong nearby hotel access, giving visiting fans a more compact and convenient matchday base,” says the study.
Curious about the other cities? Check out Action Network’s entire index here.
