After the FIFA World Cup, $4M worth of world-class natural grass will be ripped from BC Place and sent to a landfill. It doesn't have to be this way.
For the 2026 FIFA World Cup, BC Place will install a natural grass pitch grown for over a year at Bos Sod Farms in Abbotsford, BC. It's a precision blend of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass, cultivated on perforated plastic to FIFA's exacting standards, with moisture checked 3 to 5 times daily.
When the tournament ends in mid-July, this pitch will be torn up. BC Place is a multi-event venue owned by PavCo, a Crown corporation. The BC Lions, Whitecaps, concerts, and trade shows all need artificial turf. No plan exists to save the grass.
$3-4M in FIFA-grade sod goes to a landfill. BC gets zero physical legacy from hosting the biggest sporting event on earth. Vancouver FC keeps playing on artificial turf.
The grass moves 30 minutes east to Willoughby Stadium in Langley, the Lower Mainland's only soccer-specific venue. An outdoor pitch where this sod would actually thrive year-round.
The sod was literally grown in Abbotsford for Vancouver's temperate climate. Outdoors in Langley, it needs no grow lights, no industrial fans, no forced ventilation. The grass does what grass does.
Vancouver FC and Langley United play at Willoughby. Give the community a World Cup-grade natural grass pitch and a story that lasts decades, not just five weeks of tournament play.
The sod is already grown and paid for. The only cost is preparing the receiving site at Willoughby, a fraction of what was spent to create the grass in the first place.
In July 2026, BC Place will host its final World Cup match. Within days, the natural grass pitch — grown for over a year to the highest standard in world football — will be removed.
Right now, there is no plan to preserve it.
We believe this is a missed opportunity. Willoughby Stadium in Langley, home of Vancouver FC and the Lower Mainland's only soccer-specific venue, sits 30 minutes from where this sod was grown. It is an outdoor, open-air facility in the exact climate this grass was cultivated for. No grow lights needed. No industrial fans. Just natural conditions and a community that cares about the sport.
The conversion would cost a fraction of the sod's value. The grass is already paid for. The site prep — drainage, rootzone, and installation — is estimated at under $1 million. FIFA legacy funding, provincial sport infrastructure grants, and federal community investment programs could all contribute.
What we're asking for is simple: don't throw it away. Give British Columbia a lasting, tangible legacy from the 2026 World Cup. Give the next generation of players a pitch that was built for the best in the world.
Tell PavCo, the Township of Langley, and FIFA: save the World Cup grass for Willoughby Stadium.