Langford’s dream of hosting soccer stars from around the globe has been shown the red card. Councillors have unanimously voted against continuing with its bid to offer Starlight Stadium as a Team Base Camp for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The city had hoped the federal and provincial governments would help cover some of the cost to host the event – including up to $1.2 million to swap out artificial turf for natural grass – but both levels of government declined. With additional expenses for security escorts, road closures and permits, the mounting bill has proved too steep for Langford to shoulder alone. “We acknowledge that this is a great opportunity, but this is not something that is in our budget,” said Mayor Scott Goodmanson at the Aug. 18 meeting. While praising Langford’s ambitious spirit, Coun. Lillian Szpak criticized the province for not sharing a portion of the $115 million it received from the federal government to support FIFA 2026 – something that had been encouraged by MP Will Greaves. In his letter to the city explaining why the federal government would not be helping, Greaves called the training camp bid a “worthwhile initiative that offers benefits across the South Island.” “ … (I) encourage the province to fulfill this request with their own funds or those received from the federal government for this file,” he wrote. Despite his appeal, the former minister of tourism, arts, culture, and sport Spencer Chandra Herbert, told Langford the province does not have “specific programs available” with the amount of funding support requested. “We have applied to the province, we did have our MLA go on bended knee,” Szpak said. “I just want to highlight that I am disappointed in how that money has been allocated.” The potential disruption to local sports teams and community events was another red flag for the city. If Langford had pressed ahead, Starlight Stadium would have been off-limits from February to early July 2026 for turf replacement and the World Cup group stage. “Displacing Pacific FC for two-thirds of its season in order to be a very small part of the World Cup activities would be a terrible trade-off,” said Langford resident Frazer Johnson. “Costs are too high, the risks can’t be mitigated, the benefits are questionable — there are so many drawbacks,” he added. “It’s a fun idea … but this isn’t the right move for the city.” Johnson’s feelings were echoed by other residents during the meeting’s period of public participation, where no one spoke in favour of the plan. Residents also called foul at the notion that hosting would “bring destination awareness to the City of Langford globally,” as suggested in a staff report. “That kind of recognition will be limited and unlikely to deliver lasting value to our community,” said Natalie McNeely. “Once the training camp packs up and leaves, it will be nothing more than a bit of trivia on Langford’s Wikipedia page.” But as one door closes, another opens, suggested Steven Rossander, offering up a last-minute substitution. Noting the BC Lions will be sidelined from BC Place while World Cup festivities are in play, Rossander said the city had an opportunity to play host to the football team again, as they did during their pre-season in May this year. “While we could maybe lose the FIFA, we could gain the Lions,” he said. “And I think we’ve shown that’s a great success and very well supported in the community." But as for Langford’s World Cup ambitions, the final whistle has been blown. Or as sports commentator Kenneth Wolstenholme famously declared in the dying moments of England’s 1966 World Cup win over West Germany, “They think it’s all over. It is now.”
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