B.C. legislature lawn hosts test viewing party for World Cup fans

A viewing party at the legislature gave soccer fans a taste of what to expect when communities across the province host similar events during the World Cup.

Soccer fans in Victoria played hooky for the day on Tuesday, taking in a nail-biting game to determine who plays Canada in its first World Cup match.

The test viewing event, hosted by FIFA Canada, will be replicated during the tournament in communities across the country.

It drew hundreds to the lawn of the legislature as the build-up begins for the World Cup, an event estimated to cost more than $600 million to host this summer when seven matches are played in Vancouver.

“We are welcoming the world to come and see B.C.,” said Tourism Minister Anne Kang.

The government says it’s money well spent, predicting more than $1 billion in additional visitor spending during the tournament and for the following five years.

“There are five billion people who watched the World Cup last time, and FIFA is expecting even more this time. This is our chance to be on the world stage,” Premier David Eby told the crowd.

With ticket prices escalating, the province hasn’t ruled out capping resale ticket prices at face value.

“We are, as a government, looking at how Ontario will be rolling out its legislation and looking at what ramifications it has in their province,” said Kang.

But with many games already priced at hundreds to thousands of dollars, many football aficionados say screenings like the one Tuesday will be the way they take in games between June 11 and July 19th

The province says its chipping in $1.7 million dollars to help 32 communities across B.C. host local viewing parties.