The World Cup and Montreal

As a child of Expo 67 and teenager during the 1976 summer Olympics, I was pleased to learn Montreal might stage matches during the 2026 World Cup. The Jean Drapeau years established the city as an excellent host to world-class events.

But it did not take long for reality set in. The current climate in Montreal is not event friendly. Just look at the Formula E fiasco.

Large events like the World Cup have a nasty habit of cost overruns.

The cost of security alone would be enormous. Vancouver and other cities have declined to be part of the bid for financial reasons.

If Montreal goes ahead with this, how long before some municipal candidate takes a No Cup position before the next elections and pledges to kill the deal and save millions in taxpayers’ money?

Deegan Charles Stubbs, Westmount