Vancouver’s World Cup rights plan not enough to tackle ‘FIFA-related harms,’ coalition says

A 2026 FIFA World Cup promotional image is displayed on a screen at Vancouver's BC PLace.

A coalition of about 20 organizations working in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and Chinatown say they’re worried the city isn’t adequately addressing human rights implications and “FIFA-related harms” of the upcoming soccer World Cup.

The group, which includes the BC Civil Liberties Association and the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, says a draft “human rights action plan” released last week makes no promises to increase supports for homeless people during the tournament and leaves open the option for street sweeps while international eyes are on the city.

The city’s 57-page draft report says its “daily public realm management and bylaw compliance work” will continue during the World Cup to ensure parks remain usable during the day and “sidewalks remain safe, clean, and accessible.”

Chantelle Spicer, co-director of the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition, says sweeps by the city in the name of getting tents and other structures off sidewalks increase the risk of overdoses because people are more likely to be alone, while those in need are pushed further from health care and other supports.

The coalition says the plan leaves anyone who experiences human rights violations without adequate ways to report them, pointing them instead to the complicated human rights tribunal process or telling them to call 311, the city’s non-emergency hotline.

Vancouver is hosting seven World Cup matches at BC Place between June 11 and July 7 and FIFA officials are scheduled to come to the city for an annual meeting in April.

The final human rights plan is scheduled to be released in May and the city did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Our coalition wants to be clear: we have not been effectively ‘consulted,’ we have not been meaningfully ‘engaged,’ and we do not trust that the draft action plan tackles the FIFA-related harms that the city itself has invited by being a host city,” a statement from the coalition of organizations says.

“In the absence of a ‘plan’ we can rely on, we will continue to find the answers for safety, harm reduction, and care in our own communities.”

This report by Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press, was first published Feb. 26, 2026