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The City of Vancouver is one step closer to hosting what its staff have called “the biggest event on the planet” – the FIFA men’s World Cup.

Councillors voted unanimously and enthusiastically Tuesday in support of a plan for the city to press on with its bid to host as many as five matches as part of the 2026 tournament.

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Vancouver is part of a “united bid” to have Canada, Mexico and the US jointly host the tournament. It is one of four Canadian cities still up for consideration by the united bid committee, along with 25 cities in the US and three in Mexico, according to the city report. Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal are the other three prospective hosts in Canada.

Michelle Collens, the city’s manager of sport hosting, said it was the first time in the history of the World Cup that soccer associations from three countries had bid as one entity.

“The bid is about unity. It’s about building a legacy and not just in the next eight years, but in the future generations,” Collens said. In her estimation, this bid would be Vancouver and Canada’s one and only chance to host men’s World Cup matches.