Beyond FIFA World Cup 26™: The Best Seats Across British Columbia

With one year to go until FIFA World Cup 26™, Vancouver, British Columbia—alongside other host cities across Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.—is gearing up to welcome the biggest spectator sporting event on the planet. Beginning June 11, 2026, BC Place Stadium will host seven FIFA World Cup 26™ matches, each anticipated to attract 54,000 fans cheering for 48 teams from five continents.

While match tickets are coveted, the best seats lie beyond the stadium walls. BC is filled with unforgettable experiences rivalling the tournament’s thrills, whether it’s a chairlift up a mountain peak, exploring the wilderness on the back of a horse, or settling on a barstool at a world-acclaimed cocktail “lab”.

Whether you’ll be attending FIFA World Cup 26™ or merely wish to channel its electric atmosphere, BC’s blend of urban and natural wonders promise a front-row seat for every traveller—from spellbound spectators seeking a “wow” factor moment and wild souls eager to discover new perspectives to backroads explorers who gravitate to unplugged routes.

For the Spellbound Spectator: Vancouver Lower Mainland 

Fan of flavour, forest bathing, and flying high

• The seat: A bench with a view at Squamish Canyon, opening in summer 2025.
  The experience: This new all-season, multisensory experience invites outdoor enthusiasts to marvel at the thunderous beauty of Mamquam Falls, traverse elevated rainforest walkways, and discover the culture of the Squamish Nation.
  How to get there: Squamish Canyon is located in Squamish, a 1.5-hour drive from downtown Vancouver along the scenic Sea-to-Sky Highway.
• The seat: The harness of a zipline at Richmond Night Market, the biggest night market in North America (10 minutes from the Vancouver airport).
  The experience: With the market’s 25th anniversary comes a new, thrilling adventure: a 600-foot zipline that soars above the action (Opening Summer 2025). The Richmond Night Market is a gourmand’s dream with rows of stalls serving an enticing assortment of internationally inspired meals, including crab meat noodles, Japanese poutine, Afghan bolani, and even sausage in a waffle cone.
  
• The seat: A barstool at Botanist Bar in the Fairmont Pacific Rim in downtown Vancouver.
  The experience: Whimsical, experiential cocktails take centre stage at this immersive cocktail “lab” named among North America’s best bars. Try Botanist’s latest alchemy-inspired experience, “The Water of Life (eau de vie),” a selection of four chemist-like libations.

For The Wild Soul: Vancouver Island

Enjoys wilderness, wildlife, and Indigenous storytelling

• The seat: A bench at Amphitrite Point Lighthouse
  The experience: This active lighthouse is an ideal vantage point to whale watch, particularly with the addition of a new viewing platform and accessibility features. The lighthouse is part of the Wild Pacific Trail’s Lighthouse Loop, an easy 2.6-kilometre route with plenty of places to sit and watch the scenery.
  How to get there: Amphitrite Point Lighthouse is located in Ucluelet, a five-hour drive from downtown Vancouver by ferry and car. Alternatively, visitors can take a 50-minute floatplane journey, landing in nearby Tofino.
• The seat: Glamping tents at Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge
  The experience: This remote luxury outpost sits on 600 acres of wilderness, where wildlife—including black bears, whales, and sea lions— thrives and 25 safari tents are surrounded by ocean, forest, and mountains. To commemorate its 25th anniversary in 2025, the lodge has introduced exhilarating helicopter experiences that whisk guests over the valleys, mountains, and glaciers populating Vancouver Island.
  How to get there: Clayoquot Wilderness Resort is located on Vancouver Island. The easiest way to get there is via floatplane, which travels from Vancouver directly to the resort’s dock on Clayoquot Sound. Alternatively, visitors can take the 5.5-hour car-and-ferry journey to Tofino, then a 45-minute boat transfer to the lodge. 
• The seat: A sturdy boat captained by Sea Wolf Adventures
  The experience: Led by a First Nations guide who shares wisdom, stories, and points of interests, guests travel into the Great Bear Rainforest to spot grizzlies, whales, and otters. The Indigenous-owned wilderness tour operator recently partnered with Sointula Lodge to offer a brand new, three-night adventure package, available as of September 2025.
  How to get there: Sea Wolf Adventures tours depart from Port McNeill, which is a six-hour journey from Vancouver by ferry and car.

For The Edge-of-the-Map Navigator: Northern BC

Treasures culture, forest-shaded waterfalls and glaciers

• The seat: The base of a thundering waterfall at Anhluut’ukwsim Laxmihl Angwinga’asanskwhl Nisg̱a’a (Nisg̱a’a Lava Beds Park)
  The experience: Explore 300-year-old lava bends, forest-shaded waterfalls, and natural hot springs in the Nisg̱a’a Lands, also known as the Nass Valley. Along the way, interpretive panels, pts’aan (totem poles), and guided tours share cultural teachings from First Nations elders and storytellers.
  How to get there: From Vancouver, take a one-hour and 45-minute flight to Terrace, then drive one hour and 30 minutes to Nisg̱a’a Lava Beds Park.
  
• The seat: The toe of the Salmon Glacier
  The experience: Icy, stark, and commanding, the Salmon Glacier makes for an unforgettable road trip. The journey starts in Stewart and continues right to the base of the glacier, where snow and ice stretch into a horizon interrupted only by jagged, snowcapped peaks.
  How to get there: The Salmon Glacier is located near the border between Canada and Alaska. From Vancouver, take the one-hour-and-40-minute flight to Stewart where the journey begins. 
• The seat: Lakeside viewing of the northern lights
  The experience: Witness the silent dance of the auroras from the shores of Muncho Lake, near the Alaska Highway. Northern Rockies Adventures offers all-inclusive tours to its luxurious lakeside lodge, complete with guided day trips, an excursion to Liard River Hot Springs, and complimentary boat and mountain bike rentals. As soon as auroral activity is detected, staff will sound the alert so you can grab front-row seats to the celestial show.
  How to get there: The all-inclusive trip includes round-trip charter flights directly from Vancouver.

For The Backroad Explorer: Cariboo Chilcotin Coast

Meanders down unplugged routes and grassy hills 

• The seat: A cliff overlooking the canyon at Chasm Provincial Park
  The experience: This 3,067-hectare park protects the river canyon of the Chasm Creek Valley and part of the Bonaparte Valley. Here, spectacular backdrops attract budding and seasoned photographers eager to capture intricate rock formations and layered canyon walls that have eroded over 10 million years.
  How to get there: Chasm Provincial Park is a five-hour-and-20-minute drive from downtown Vancouver.
• The seat: A helicopter seat into Tyax Lodge
  The experience: Hike or helicopter into alpine wilderness with Tyax Lodge as your basecamp. The property is the perfect stop before The Bridge River Valley, where adventurers can mountain bike on single-track trails to lakes, glaciers, and old-growth forests; view wildlife such as moose, bears, cougars, and lynxes; and hike in the backcountry. The lodge offers guided adventures, or guests can explore at their own speed.
  How to get there: From Vancouver, Tyax Lodge is a 2.5-hour drive followed by a 20-minute helicopter flight. 
• The seat: A gentle horse at Echo Valley Ranch
  The experience: The ranch’s Horse Harmony program endeavours to restore the connection shared by humans and horses. After a workshop component in a riding arena, guests take a guided ride through thousands of acres of wilderness. Then, it’s time for a series of trust exercises to cement your newfound relationship with the horse. How to get there: Echo Valley Ranch is a five-hour road trip from Vancouver. Alternatively, take a 50-minute flight into Kamloops, then a 2.5-hour drive to the resort.

For The Ecosystem Explorer: Thompson Okanagan

Enjoys waterfall hikes, wine with a view, and winding trails

• The seat: Viewing platforms at Wells Gray Provincial Park.
  The experience: Known as “Canada’s Waterfall Park,” Wells Gray is home to 41 waterfalls fuelled by rivers and lakes carved by ancient volcanoes and glaciers. Several offer accessible viewing platforms where people of all abilities can sit and marvel at the majestic scenery.
  How to get there: Wells Gray is a five-hour road trip from Vancouver. Alternatively, you can fly to Kamloops, then drive one hour and 20 minutes to the park.
• The seat: A tasting room at Frind Estate Winery in West Kelowna, the first beachfront winery in North America with calming views of Okanagan Lake.
  The experience: Enjoy a crisp glass of Chardonnay and a stunning vista at this lakefront property, once home to the longest running Premier to the Province, W.A.C Bennett. Each bottle of Frind Estate wines features an abstract, golden pinecone representing three aspects meaningful to the family-owned estate: science, symbolism and sentiment.
  How to get there: West Kelowna is a four-hour drive from Vancouver. 
• The seat: Biking along the Kettle Valley Rail Trail.
  The experience: This 660-kilometre recreational trail journeys along a decommissioned railway, passing through shifting landscapes of mountains, valleys, and desert. Myra Canyon offers particularly mesmerizing panoramas of the Okanagan Valley.
  How to get there: The trail stretches from Hope to Castlegar; the Myra Canyon portion is near Kelowna, a four-hour drive from Vancouver.

The Wonder Seeker: Kootenay Rockies

Excited by ancient fossils and high-altitude dining

• The seat: A journey 500 million years into the past courtesy of Parks Canada’s Burgess Shale hikes
  The experience: Over 500 million years ago, a shallow sea covered what’s now known as Kootenay and Yoho national parks. Today, visitors will find shale fossils pressed into rock beds, evidence of a diverse ecosystem that existed millions of years ago. This year marks the 25th anniversary of fossil research in the area, and Parks Canada is inviting visitors to hike to the rock beds and hold the ancient fossils in their hands.
  How to get there: Fly one hour and 20 minutes from Vancouver to Cranbrook. From Cranbrook, it’s a 1.5-hour drive to Kootenay National Park and a three-hour drive to Yoho National Park.
• The seat: A table at Eagle’s Eye, the highest restaurant in Canada.
  The experience: Located 7,700 feet above sea level at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, Eagle’s Eye sets the bar for “elevated” dining experiences. The restaurant showcases panoramic views of the Purcell Mountains, served alongside hearty fare and cocktails. How to get there: Golden is a 1.5-hour flight from Vancouver. 
• The seat: The summit of Revelstoke Mountain Resort
  The experience: Opening soon, the Revelstoke Highline will introduce a new suspension bridge, viewing platform, and cliffside hiking trail overlooking spectacular views of Mt. Begbie, the Columbia Valley, and the city of Revelstoke.
  How to get there: Take a one-hour flight from Vancouver to Kelowna. From here, Revelstoke Mountain Resort is a 2.5-hour drive.

For additional information on FIFA Vancouver 2026: https://vancouverfwc26.ca/ 

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