{"id":595581,"date":"2026-04-10T21:15:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T21:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/595581\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T21:15:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T21:15:13","slug":"fifa-world-cup-trophy-unveiled-in-vancouver-to-kick-off-countrywide-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/595581\/","title":{"rendered":"FIFA World Cup trophy unveiled in Vancouver to kick off countrywide tour"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Italian soccer legend Fabio Cannavaro, a 2006 World Cup champion, uncovers the trophy in Vancouver on Friday.DARRYL DYCK\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

The glittering prize of soccer\u2019s biggest showcase has made a stop in Vancouver.<\/p>\n

The FIFA World Cup trophy was on display in the city on Friday, kicking off a cross-Canada tour ahead of this summer\u2019s tournament.<\/p>\n

Former Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro, who hoisted the 18-karat gold statue in 2006, unveiled a glass case containing the hardware in a ceremony at the Vancouver Art Gallery.<\/p>\n

The trophy \u2013 usually kept at the FIFA Museum in Zurich \u2013 will also make stops in Calgary, Winnipeg, Montreal, Halifax, Ottawa and Toronto before May 26.<\/p>\n

Pitch perfect: Inside the massive effort to grow World Cup grass<\/a><\/p>\n

FIFA redraws the map on top-tier World Cup seating<\/a><\/p>\n

The tour gives soccer fans a chance to see the 6.175-kilogram statue up close before the World Cup kicks off in Mexico City and Guadalajara.<\/p>\n

Vancouver is among the 16 cities across Canada, the United States and Mexico that will host a combined 104 games during the expanded 48-team tournament from June 11 through July 19.<\/p>\n

B.C. is no stranger to hosting international events, from the Commonwealth Games to the 2010 Olympics, Premier David Eby told the crowd on Friday.<\/p>\n

The World Cup, though, is on another scale.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe World Cup will be the largest international event we have ever participated in, with more than five billion people tuning in,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen people tune into British Columbia, they will see, obviously, our incredibly kind people, our amazing culinary scene, everything from Japadog to some of the world\u2019s finest restaurants, incredible accommodations. And we hope that they will want to come and visit us again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani, left, speaks to B.C. Premier David Eby at Friday’s World Cup trophy tour launch.DARRYL DYCK\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

Vancouver is staging seven games during the tournament, including five group stage matches, a round of 32 game and a round of 16 game. Toronto will host six games.<\/p>\n

The tournament is a great branding event for the city, said Vancouver mayor Ken Sim.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a super exciting time, being a Vancouverite,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the largest sporting event in the history of the planet \u2013 104 games, 48 countries. It is going to be lights out. And it\u2019s so exciting that you\u2019re starting to see FIFA, the games, the signage, the excitement building.\u201d<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s third World Cup appearance begins with a matchup against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto on June 12. The team will move to Vancouver to take on Qatar on June 18 and wrap group play against Switzerland on June 24.<\/p>\n

As hosts, the country will show not only its love of the sport, but its talent, too, said FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the message here is welcome the world, but be proud that this sport is ours,\u201d he said. \u201cThis sport is ours. Own it, love it, cherish it and pass it on to the future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Italian soccer legend Fabio Cannavaro, a 2006 World Cup champion, uncovers the trophy…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":595582,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194298],"tags":[901,888,902,879,877,903,49,48,876,895,896,891,878,875,46,549,295,894,887,914,880,881,893,889,890,884,904,885,909,910,912,907,911,905,908,882,898,899,714,897,906,865,61,900,892,886,55,883,913],"class_list":{"0":"post-595581","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-vancouver","8":"tag-alberta","9":"tag-arts-news","10":"tag-bc","11":"tag-breaking-news","12":"tag-breaking-news-video","13":"tag-british-columbia","14":"tag-ca","15":"tag-canada","16":"tag-canada-news","17":"tag-canada-sports","18":"tag-canada-sports-news","19":"tag-canada-trafficcanada-weather","20":"tag-canadian-breaking-news","21":"tag-canadian-news","22":"tag-economy","23":"tag-education","24":"tag-environment","25":"tag-federal-government","26":"tag-foreign-news","27":"tag-globe-and-mail","28":"tag-globe-and-mail-breaking-news","29":"tag-globe-and-mail-canada-news","30":"tag-government","31":"tag-life-news","32":"tag-lifestyle","33":"tag-local-news","34":"tag-manitoba","35":"tag-national-news","36":"tag-new-brunswick","37":"tag-newfoundland-and-labrador","38":"tag-northwest-territories","39":"tag-nova-scotia","40":"tag-nunavut","41":"tag-ontario","42":"tag-pei","43":"tag-photos","44":"tag-political-news","45":"tag-political-opinion","46":"tag-politics","47":"tag-politics-news","48":"tag-quebec","49":"tag-sports-news","50":"tag-technology","51":"tag-travel","52":"tag-trudeau","53":"tag-us-news","54":"tag-vancouver","55":"tag-world-news","56":"tag-yukon"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/595581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=595581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/595581\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/595582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=595581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=595581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=595581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}