Community Voices Cascadia legacies are key to World Cup success

Written by Professor of Journalism Derek Moscato.

With the first 12 days of FIFA’s World Cup 2026 in the books, it feels like the summer mega-event is set to be a massive success. Despite what some naysayers predicted, global soccer has never looked better, especially with competitive matches playing out across the three host countries of Canada, Mexico and the U.S., and enthusiastic crowds filling stadiums, fan sites and sports bars.

For Cascadia’s host cities of Vancouver and Seattle, the right to host the World Cup along with 14 other cities represents an extraordinary feat for the Cascadia region, which is the only cross-border corridor to garner such a distinction. The now-underway matches at BC Place and Seattle Stadium are shining an unprecedented spotlight on both coastal metropolises, but also the larger borderlands region fanning out across B.C. and Washington.