Edmonton pleads with Alberta for World Cup funds as Vancouver announces renewed bid

The mayor of Edmonton is continuing to push the provincial government to support the city's 2026 World Cup bid as his counterpart in Vancouver announced up to $5 million toward that city's efforts.

The mayor of Edmonton is continuing to push the provincial government to support the city's 2026 World Cup bid as his counterpart in Vancouver announced up to $5 million toward that city's efforts.

Amarjeet Sohi told CTV News Edmonton the city still doesn't have a funding commitment from Alberta.

"We will continue to explore and continue to try to convince the province that this is good for the city, this is good for Alberta. This provides us an opportunity to a global platform to showcase what Edmonton has to offer," Sohi said.

"I think it's really important from an economic point of view, economic growth and recovery point of view. So we will continue to try to convince that this is a worthy initiative that they should be supporting."

The 2026 World Cup will be played in several cities across Mexico, the United States and Canada.

Toronto has long been thought to be a lock to host matches, and Vancouver is back in the running after Mayor Kenney Stewart said his city would spend up to $5 million on its bid.

With arguably the best soccer venue in Canada in BC Place and support from all levels of government, Kennedy called hosting "a real possibility."