The FIFA World Cup trophy on display in Zurich, Switzerland on Nov. 20, 2025. (Image Credit: The Canadian Press/AP-Keystone, Claudio Thoma)

By Aaron Schulze

Canada Celebrates

Watch party, soccer activities and live music part of cross-Canada World Cup stop in Kamloops

May 22, 2026 | 9:30 AM

KAMLOOPS — Details have been unveiled about the festivities taking place in Kamloops when a cross-country FIFA Men’s World Cup celebration tour makes its stop.

In April, FIFA released the schedule for Canada Celebrates, a tour that will make 39 stops in 35 communities during the men’s world soccer championship. Kamloops will host a free community event on June 18 as part of the cross-country celebration tour, with additional stops scheduled in Salmon Arm on June 20 and Revelstoke on June 22.

In a news release issued Friday (May 22), the City of Kamloops says there will be a large LED screen broadcasting Canada’s second match of the FIFA World Cup. The Canadians will take on Qatar on June 18 at 3:00 p.m. from BC Place.

The city says there will be interactive soccer activities for all ages, including mini soccer pitches and life-sized, arcade-style soccer challenges. There will also be cultural and music performances reflecting the Kamloops area’s diversity, along with local food and community programming highlighting Kamloops’ businesses and local soccer scene.

The city says full details for the Canada Celebrates stop in Kamloops will be unveiled closer to June 18.

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Plans for a cross-country celebration were included as part of Canada’s bid to host World Cup matches more than eight years ago. The event is being hosted in partnership with the city, Tourism Kamloops, Kamloops Sports Council, Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, Kamloops United Football Club and Downtown Kamloops.

The City of Kamloops also received $90,000 in provincial funding to help organize a series of outdoor watch parties during the World Cup. There will be licensed outdoor watch parties organized at Riverside Park between June 11 and July 19.

The funding will allow the city to broadcast all of the matches on a large screen at the Rotary Bandshell, with a special focus on matches featuring Canada and the World Cup Final on July 19.

Kamloops was one of 32 B.C. communities to get a share of $1.7 million of the B.C. government’s Community Event Support Fund to host the watch parties. The City of Salmon Arm got $70,500 while Williams Lake First Nation got $45,000.

Vancouver and Toronto are among the 16 cities across Canada, the United States and Mexico hosting games in this summer’s tournament.

by Aaron Schulze

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Watch party, soccer activities and live music part of cross-Canada World Cup stop in Kamloops

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