More vehicles entered on days Vancouver hosted matches, but overall travel numbers from the U.S. are expected to be lower than last year
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Roughly 134,200 vehicles entered B.C. from Washington state on days Vancouver hosted World Cup matches in June and July — almost 18,000 more than the same days last year, according to a Postmedia analysis of border data.
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On June 13, the day Vancouver first hosted a match, more than 12,100 northbound vehicles crossed the border — nearly 2,800 more vehicles than the same day last year, a 30 per cent increase.
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Despite this bump in northbound traffic, overall travel numbers from the U.S. in June — including those coming in by plane — are expected to be lower than last year, according to Destination Vancouver.
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“Complete June visitation data will be available later this month, but early indicators suggest that U.S. travel declined during the month. This is consistent with the year-over-year decrease in hotel occupancy observed in June 2026,” the organization said Wednesday in an email.
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“Based on current trends, June results are expected to show a further decline in U.S. visitation compared with both 2025 and 2024,” Destination Vancouver said.
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“Looking ahead, U.S. demand for August and September is currently pacing below both last year and 2024 levels.”
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There was one small bright spot: From January through May, overnight visitors from the U.S. were up slightly — 3.7 per cent — compared with the same period last year.
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The game day with the highest overall vehicle traffic from the U.S. was the New Zealand-vs.-Egypt group stage match on June 21, when 13,200 vehicles crossed north into the Lower Mainland. That represented a 21 per cent increase compared to the same day in 2025.
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Vehicle traffic from the U.S. typically increases in the day or two before a weekend. On the last two Fridays of July, for example, 3,200 more vehicles crossed the border into the Lower Mainland than the same days last year.
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Most games hosted by Vancouver fell on or close to the weekend, when border traffic is already higher.
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On the day of the July 2 match between Switzerland and Algeria, for example, 3,500 more vehicles crossed north into the Lower Mainland, the largest increase of the World Cup period.
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July 2, 2025, fell on a Wednesday, before border traffic typically begins to increase ahead of the weekend.
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For early or mid-week games, the impact of hosting a match in Vancouver was mixed.
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Canada’s June 24 match against Switzerland, which drew the lowest increase in vehicle traffic compared to last year, fell on a Wednesday. Only 1,200 more U.S.-based visitors crossed the border that day compared with 2025.
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The July 7 Round of 32 match between Switzerland and Colombia, which fell on a Tuesday, drew 3,200 more U.S.-based vehicles compared to the same day last year — a 28 per cent increase.
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The outlook for visits from overseas travellers is more encouraging, according to Destination Vancouver. There were 12 per cent more overnight stays from overseas visitors from January through May compared to the same period last year.
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“Forward-looking indicators suggest continued growth through the remainder of the summer and into the balance of the year,” the organization said.
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