FIFA World Cup Vancouver

Working matchdays at BC Place (Whitecaps games, BC Lions games, university events) changed how I think about sports experiences. The most memorable moments are rarely only the game, they're the walk to the stadium, the transit ride with thousands of fans, the celebrations after.

Traditional sports marketing focuses heavily on ticket holders, but major events shape entire communities. The question: how can Vancouver create a World Cup experience that belongs to the whole city, not just the people inside the stadium?

Built from direct matchday observation at BC Place (Whitecaps, BC Lions, UBC Athletics events), plus a review of past FIFA host-city playbooks, Vancouver neighbourhood culture, and transit accessibility across the city.

Mapped four neighbourhood activations: Mount Pleasant (creative community hub, mural-backed fan zone), Commercial Drive (football culture, street viewing parties), Richmond (night-market-style fan zone), Surrey (family fan zone with youth clinics), plus a fan-generated content plan pairing creator partnerships with neighbourhood storytelling.

Working matchdays made me realize the most memorable part of a game often happens before kickoff and after the final whistle. That's the experience I wanted to design for.