Is Hosting the FIFA World Cup Worth It? A Tyee Debate

Two Tyee senior editors stake positions on opposite sides of the pitch. … Article written by Paul Willcocks and Tyler Olsen.
British Columbia is spending about $700 million to bring seven FIFA World Cup games to Vancouver. Is it worth it?
Some cities and politicians declined to host games, citing the inconvenience, potential impacts and hefty price tag. But B.C.'s provincial and municipal governments have been enthusiastic about the impending arrival of the games to Vancouver, citing supposed economic benefits and promising a festival-like atmosphere. Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim suggested the seven games being played in Vancouver would be the equivalent of "30 to 40 Super Bowls." Premier David Eby, meanwhile, trumpeted the "remarkable" economic benefits of being a host.
With the first game barely a week away on June 13, the spotlight is shining brightly — sometimes uncomfortably so — on the FIFA World Cup.
So The Tyee asked senior editors Paul Willcocks and Tyler Olsen to debate the simple question: Will the FIFA World Cup be worth the hassle and financial cost?
Paul Willcocks: I get the World Cup's appeal. People rallying behind their teams, tiny underdogs toppling giants, and beautiful moments of pure emotion and athletic genius.
But to celebrate that, you have to ignore the gross ugliness and corruption of FIFA and the reality that this is a party for the elite, with everyone else looking on from blocked city streets.
And picking up the tab for other people's fun.
When Vancouver "won" the right to host five games in 2022, the city and the province pegged the cost at around $250 million.
The latest estimate, after adding two games to Vancouver's hosting duties, is almost three times that, around $700 million.
I popped on StubHub to check if the ticket prices were as outrageous as I had read about. Two bad seats for Canada versus Qatar came to $1,769.
The World Cup's appeal — especially the sheer sporting passion — is wildly outweighed by its bloated, oppressive current model.
Tyler Olsen: I agree that FIFA, the organization behind the World Cup, is a fraudulent, indefensible organization that largely operates for its own benefit. But we live in a world where to boycott every such organization is to largely wall oneself off from society. Yes, FIFA is a corrupt organization that has increased the cost of soccer to benefit its members. It deserves more pushback than it has had in the past. But it's getting that pushback, and it's bending. And, as a collection of individuals, is it any worse than the owners of NHL teams, NFL teams or F1 teams? I'm not so sure.
And yes, the cost of a ticket is obscene and too high. But I surveyed my beer-league Abbotsford soccer team. A parks worker plunked down $1,000 for four tickets to watch Canada play. My plumber buddy spent $750 to watch that Qatar game. I have teammates on two different teams who spent around $400 per ticket to watch Egypt play New Zealand. I wouldn't spend that much to watch two mediocre teams, but that's how they chose to spend their money for an event that will never be here again. The World Cup is not your average sporting tournament.
Willcocks: Sorry, Tyler, but FIFA is in a class of its own in corrupt and self-serving behaviour.
When I lived in Central America, I saw the World Cup's positive side when Honduras played Canada to determine who would make the tournament. I cheered for Honduras because the beleaguered country's people really needed something to cheer about. And when they thumped our side, the streets in our small town were jammed.
Three years later, when we were living in Managua, Nicaragua, my partner's boss came into work looking devastated. Her brother, head of the Nicaraguan Football Federation, had been arrested in Geneva, charged with taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. The case ultimately involved 41 people, almost all FIFA executives.
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