Do Not Use Stadium-Chinatown for Vancouver World Cup Matches: Best SkyTrain Route to BC Place

For normal BC Place events, many fans default to Stadium-Chinatown Station. For FIFA World Cup 2026 match days in Vancouver, that is the wrong plan.

TransLink says customers should use Main Street-Science World Station on match days. It also says pedestrian access to BC Place from Stadium-Chinatown Station will not be available on local match days.

Source: TransLink World Cup transit guide.

The best SkyTrain station for BC Place World Cup matches

Use Main Street-Science World Station on the Expo Line.

Why:

• It connects to the official Last Mile pedestrian route.
• It is built for the tournament crowd-control plan.
• Empty trains are expected to help move crowds after local matches.
• It avoids the blocked or limited stadium access around Stadium-Chinatown and Yaletown-Roundhouse.

After you exit Main Street-Science World, follow event signage, police, volunteers, and the crowd route toward BC Place. Do not try to improvise a shortcut through the closure zone.

Is Stadium-Chinatown closed?

No. The station itself is not simply "closed." That is the important nuance.

TransLink says Stadium-Chinatown and Yaletown-Roundhouse will remain open, but there will be limited access to BC Place from either station. The lower Expo Boulevard entrance at Stadium-Chinatown is listed as closed, and pedestrian access from Stadium-Chinatown to BC Place will not be available on local match days.

So if you are trying to get into BC Place, treat Stadium-Chinatown as the wrong station for the tournament.

Coming from YVR Airport

The cleanest route from Vancouver International Airport:

1. Take the Canada Line from YVR-Airport Station.
2. Ride to Waterfront Station.
3. Transfer to the Expo Line.
4. Ride east to Main Street-Science World.
5. Walk the official Last Mile route to BC Place.

Build in extra time if you are landing on match day. Airport luggage plus stadium crowds is a bad mix. If you have bags, drop them at your hotel first.

Coming from downtown hotels

If you are already downtown, walking may be easier than taking a one-stop train into the crowd. Use this rough rule:

• Yaletown: walk if your route is open and you can follow posted pedestrian routing.
• Gastown / Chinatown edge: check closures first, then follow official pedestrian routes.
• Waterfront / Coal Harbour: walk if you have time, or transfer through Waterfront to Main Street-Science World.
• Robson / West End: walk or use the Expo Line depending on your hotel.

If your phone tells you Stadium-Chinatown is closer, ignore that for World Cup match access. Google Maps distance is not the same as tournament entry routing.

Coming from the suburbs

• Burnaby, New Westminster, Surrey: Expo Line to Main Street-Science World.
• Richmond / YVR: Canada Line to Waterfront, then Expo Line to Main Street-Science World.
• North Shore: SeaBus to Waterfront, then Expo Line to Main Street-Science World.
• Tri-Cities / Port Moody / Coquitlam: Millennium Line transfer to Expo Line, then Main Street-Science World.

Load your Compass Card before you leave. Ticket machines will be painful close to kickoff.

After the match

Expect heavy crowds and controlled movement. Do not run for the closest station. Follow staff directions back toward Main Street-Science World or an alternate route if directed.

If you are meeting friends, pick a meeting point away from the stadium before the match starts. Cell service can be unreliable when tens of thousands of people leave at once.

Related planning

• Vancouver World Cup road closures guide — Dates, streets, FIFA closure map
• Road closures and Local Traffic Access Pass guide — Residents, businesses, deliveries
• BC Place Uber, taxi and drop-off guide
• How to get to BC Place
• BC Place bag policy
• YVR to BC Place World Cup route