The Provincial Court of British Columbia will be adjusting its operations in Vancouver prior to and during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, citing expected massive police deployments and downtown travel disruptions. 

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be hosted across three countries: the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Canadian matches are scheduled in Vancouver and Toronto.

The tournament runs from June 11 to July 19, 2026. Seven matches are scheduled to be held in Vancouver, five of which fall on weekdays.

With hundreds of thousands of visitors expected in Vancouver, and significant police resources redirected to crowd control and stadium security, the courts are anticipating logistical pressures that could affect courthouse access, officer availability for trials, and daily scheduling capacity for in-person hearings.

Courts will remain open during the tournament period. However, Provincial Court Notice 35 outlines temporary scheduling adjustments to manage these expected disruptions. These changes may directly affect your court appearances and schedules.

Key Dates

In Vancouver, the matches are to be held from June 12 to July 8, 2026.

This includes five critical “match days” in Vancouver on:

• June 18

• June 24

• June 26

• July 2

• July 7

Court Scheduling Changes

Adult criminal trials that require police attendance will not be scheduled on those dates.

Criminal proceedings that do not require police presence will continue; however, the court strongly urges lawyers and parties to appear virtually for hearings during this period.

Traffic and bylaw offenses to be heard at Robson Square in the Vancouver Civil Court are suspended from June 12 to July 8.

To offset any potential delays, the courts are also implementing the following:

• Increasing the scheduled criminal trials prior to the FIFA period, or from April 27 to June 11

• Some files in the Vancouver Criminal Court on 222 Main Street may be moved to different locations so that the matter concludes within legal timeframes

• To allow for the increased criminal trials prior to the FIFA period, there may be a decrease of the family and civil trials, and family management conferences at the Vancouver Civil Court (Robson Square)

• A single point of entry for the Civil Court on Robson Square during the FIFA period

• For civil and family proceedings, there will be no in-person appearances on match days

• Virtual-only default will be implemented for family management conferences, civil applications, civil settlement conferences, payment hearings, and Child, Family and Community Service ACT (CFCSA) list days

Urgent matters and emergency hearings

Virtual hearings will be held when possible. However, the court will still remain available for in-person hearings, if needed, for urgent matters and emergency hearings such as protection order applications, parenting matters, time-sensitive relocation applications and CFCSA matters.

What this means for those attending court

If you have a court appearance scheduled between April 27 and July 8, 2026, you should confirm whether your matter has been rescheduled, moved to a different courthouse, or converted to a virtual hearing

You should check the Provincial Court of BC website and any notices issued in your case. If you are represented, contact your lawyer to confirm your court date appearance and the type of hearing.

If you are physically attending court during the tournament dates, allow for extra travel time due to crowd control measures, restricted courthouse access points, and possible road closures.

Don’t forget that failure to appear – whether in person or virtually – may still result in legal consequences.

If you have any hearings scheduled during these dates, it is best to coordinate directly with the courts or with your counsel for any updates or changes in your schedule.

Have questions?

If you have questions about how these scheduling changes may affect your court matter, click here to contact us.