Ambitious $2million plan for World Cup training base on scenic Canadian island was sunk by councilors

Langford’s hopes of welcoming world-class soccer teams have been kicked aside.

The picturesque little city on southern Vancouver Island had its push to make Starlight Stadium a 2026 World Cup Team Base Camp rejected.

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The host countries of Canada, Mexico, and the United States have been doing everything possible to host matches and showcase their cities, states, and provinces.

Langford’s bid to be more involved was denied.

City officials were counting on financial support from both the federal and provincial governments, that would include roughly $1.2 million needed to replace the turf with natural grass, but neither level of government stepped up to contribute.

When factoring in extra costs for security, road closures, and permits, the overall price tag became far too high for Langford to manage on its own.

“We acknowledge that this is a great opportunity, but this is not something that is in our budget,” Mayor Scott Goodmanson said over the summer.

Coun. Lillian Szpak applauded Langford’s bold initiative but faulted the province for not contributing any of the $115 million it received from the federal government for FIFA 2026, which had been suggested to support local host cities.

It was a move that Member of Parliament Will Greaves had urged the province to take.

In a letter to city officials outlining the federal government’s decision not to provide funding, Greaves described the training camp bid as 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,” Greaves wrote.

Even after his appeal, former tourism, arts, culture, and sport minister Spencer Chandra Herbert informed Langford that the province lacks “specific programs available” to provide the level of funding requested.

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“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.”

However, that wasn’t the only concern.

The city was also mindful of how local sports teams and community events might be disrupted.

Had Langford moved forward, Starlight Stadium would have been closed from February through early July 2026 for both turf replacement and the World Cup group stage.

Starlight Stadium, valued at roughly $2 million, serves as Pacific FC’s home. Asking the team to vacate for most of the season just to play a minor role in World Cup events would have been a costly compromise.

The costs would be high, the risks difficult to manage, and the benefits uncertain, leaving the drawbacks to outweigh any potential gains.

Ultimately, the juice was not deemed worth the squeeze.