12 arrested and six ejected from Friday’s World Cup festivities in Vancouver: police

Science World, which has been transformed into a World Cup Trionda soccer ball is seen near BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Thursday, June 11, 2026, ahead of the World Cup soccer tournament. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Vancouver police say 12 people were arrested on Friday night and early Saturday morning in connection with FIFA World Cup celebrations.

Vancouver hosted a World Cup Group Stage match between Belgium and New Zealand on Friday at 8 p.m., with viewing parties being held at the FIFA Fan Festival near the PNE and in the Granville Entertainment District, among other places.

The Vancouver Police Department tells CTV News that nine of these arrests happened on the Granville strip, two at the FIFA Fan Festival, and one at BC Place.

On top of the arrests, police say six people had to be “ejected” on Friday night between those three locations.

This marks a slight increase from Wednesday’s match between Canada and Switzerland, when 11 were arrested, and three were ejected at the same locations, according to police.

Friday night’s match was the final group stage tilt in Vancouver, but the city will host two more in the knockout rounds on July 2 and 7.