Surrey students escort FIFA World Cup teams as Vancouver transit hits record ridership

Around 95 Surrey school students participated in FIFA’s Player Escort Program during the 2026 World Cup matches in Vancouver, walking onto the pitch with teams at BC Place. The program, organized through Surrey Schools’ Community‑Schools Partnership and Canada SCORES in collaboration with the international nonprofit Common Goal, aimed to give underserved youth a memorable experience at six of the seven matches, including Canada’s historic win over Qatar and Egypt’s victory with Mohamed Salah.

Meanwhile, Metro Vancouver’s transit system saw a surge in use during the tournament. Average match‑day boardings rose by 87,000, adding more than 600,000 rides across the seven match days, with a peak of nearly 1.4 million boardings on June 24 when Canada faced Switzerland. SkyTrain stations near BC Place recorded a 54 % increase, the highest since the 2010 Olympics, highlighting the event’s broader economic impact on the region.