Canada is ready to host visitors from across the world for the 23rd FIFA World Cup from June 11th to July 19th this year.
Speaking in a live TV interview on KBC Channel 1 on Saturday, Canada’s High Commissioner to Kenya, His Excellency Joshua Tabah, said hosting the historic World Cup this year presents an auspicious occasion for the country.
“We’re very thrilled to be able to host games in two of our cities, and this World Cup is different. This is the first time we’ve ever had a World Cup take place in three countries, and so it brings North America closer together. This is also the tournament where the World Cup will go through a major expansion and go from 32 teams to 48 teams, and to over a hundred different matches. And so, it’s going to be a massive tournament. It required more than one country to deliver it, and Canada was so excited to be a part of it this time,” stated Tabah
Canada will co-host the football extravaganza alongside their neighbours, the USA and Mexico.
Ambassador Tabah revealed that the country will renovate the 45,000-seater Toronto and the 54,000-seater BC Place Vancouver for the World Cup once the snow season is over.
“We’re not building any new facilities. And so that’s one of our lessons learned: making sure that we had the facilities in place to be able to really maximise the hosting and also maximise the economic benefits from a tournament like this. And as you look at the state of preparedness, Canada is not putting up any new facilities, because the facilities are there as a result of the major tournaments we have hosted. “ He added
On cultural tourism for fans who will visit Canada this summer for the World Cup, ambassador Tabah said the country has a lot to offer in sports, cuisine and rich cultures.
“And so when people go to Toronto, they will see one of the world’s great multicultural cities. They’ll be able to go to any neighbourhood they want and experience restaurants and food from those countries or any others. Now, Toronto is also famous for its sporting culture. It’s home to the Toronto Maple Leafs, who just won the American League in the Baseball Association; the Toronto Raptors, who have recently won a title in the National Basketball Association; and, of course, the Toronto Maple Leafs, which are one of the great original teams for ice hockey. It also hosts the Hockey Hall of Fame, and so for visitors to Toronto, they can get their fill and more of international sporting events. And so, everyone who goes to Vancouver for this tournament has to get to the coast, experience the beaches and get up into the mountains.
The ambassador, however, cautioned Kenyans planning to travel to Canada for the World Cup to be wary of scammers who purport to issue visas, insisting that all visa applications are through the embassy’s official website.
“Having a ticket does not guarantee entry, and so anybody with a ticket or anyone who just wants to travel to Canada to be part of this exciting vibe and to be on the ground still needs to get a visa, and so it’s very important if people are planning to travel to Canada and they don’t have a visa now is the time to apply to get one. All the information is on our websites; it’s freely available. Make sure that you complete the applications well, and then we’ll be able to process them in time, and so these are a priority for us for anyone who wants to be in Canada to experience the World Cup. We want to be able to support that.” Ambassador Tabah added
Canada has been allocated a total of 13 matches, 6 in Toronto and 7 in Vancouver, in this year’s FIFA World Cup.
