'Mission accomplished': VPD reflects on policing World Cup in Vancouver

VANCOUVER — After nearly half a decade of planning and preparation, North America's time as hosts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup has come to an end.

Less than 24 hours after the final kick of the ball, the Vancouver Police Department has provided insight into what it took to ensure fans from BC, Canada, and beyond had a safe and enjoyable experience.

"This was a 39-day unprecedented operational event," VPD Deputy Chief Const. Don Chapman said during a press conference on Monday. "From a safety and security perspective, my final thoughts are: mission accomplished."

According to the VPD, there were a total of 40 people arrested for criminal code violations in all FIFA-specific areas. The vast majority, 36, were in the Granville Entertainment District. None were recorded at BC Place, three at the Fan Fest at the PNE, and just one at other watch parties.

The Granville Entertainment District was also top of the list when it came to breach of peace arrests — which Chapman described as "adult time outs" — at 99. Two were recorded at BC Place, six at the Fan Fest at the PNE, and two at other watch parties. Forty-eight people were arrested for public intoxication, 42 of whom were in the Granville Entertainment District.

Of those arrested for breach of peace and public intoxication, 16 were foreign nationals.

Chapman pointed out that while a record-breaking 1,300 officers were out and about on each of the seven match days, the World Cup was just one of many things going on in Vancouver. Between June 11 and July 19, the VPD responded to 18,489 calls for service, including 1,158 "Priority 1" calls.

While Vancouver has seen its fair share of hockey-related shenanigans, football hooliganism is still a relatively foreign concept. Chapman explained that to prepare for that, members of the VPD planning staff travelled to England, Scotland, and France to learn how they deal with it.

"Seeing how all that works, and bringing that back, and plugging it into what we know about our own city, about our own protest environment, about our own sporting fans, and what's tolerable," he said. "Put that all in and then we come out with our posture."

Superintendent Jeff Neuman added that while the force had ample time to prepare for the group stage games since the teams were announced in advance, the knock-out round presented a "challenge" as officers had less time to gather intelligence on the teams.

"We reinforced out security perimeter to ensure that we wouldn't have that football hooliganism," he noted. "After looking at the recommendations from the 2011 Stanley Cup — the black eye that put on the city — it’s making sure we came out of this event without that black eye."