Update - February 10, 2026
Section 1.b regarding proceedings where police attendance is not required is updated to remove the statement that there will be no in person hearings at Vancouver Criminal Court on Match days.
Update - February 6, 2026
Chief Judge Gillespie has issued an update effective [February 6] to Notice 35 Provincial Court Operations During FIFA World Cup 2026 making multiple scheduling adjustments as further information has become available about the World Cup. The Court will continue to update this notice and make announcements here on our website as further information becomes available.
Background
The Provincial Court of British Columbia has been advised that many peace officers/police officers will be deployed for public safety, traffic control and crowd management during the FIFA World Cup 2026. This will limit the police’s ability to participate in criminal and traffic proceedings. It may also impact the BC Sheriff Service’s ability to support court operations, including transporting accused persons in custody to court. In addition, it is anticipated that travel in some areas of Vancouver will be significantly impacted, in particular travel to the downtown core may be severely restricted, which will affect the ability of Court personnel and participants in Court proceedings to travel to some Court locations.
The most significant impacts are expected from June 12 to July 8, 2026 (the “FIFA period”), which encompasses the matches that will be held in Vancouver. While Vancouver is only hosting 7 games, we have been advised that FIFA World Cup 2026 related activities and security measures will be continuous throughout this period of time.
While the Court will remain open during the FIFA World Cup 2026, there will be scheduling adjustments during the FIFA period at some court locations.