A hockey rink becomes a football cathedral
There’s something wonderfully surreal about watching the FIFA World Cup 2026 inside Queen’s Park Arena in New Westminster. The home of the Bellies — a quintessentially Canadian hockey venue, complete with penalty clocks and banner-lined rafters — transformed last night into a community watch party unlike anything I’ve experienced.
Inflatable VEVOR screens set up right on the arena floor broadcast the match in vivid colour, their glow reflecting off the shiny rink surface below. Flags of nations from every corner of the globe lined the boards where hockey pucks usually fly. The stands filled with fans in kit, families sprawled on the arena floor, and the kind of mixed, electric energy you only get when the beautiful game comes to town.
It was beautifully low-key and beautifully local — the kind of grassroots community moment that a mega-event like the World Cup is actually supposed to generate.
With Vancouver hosting matches just across the bridge, New Westminster showed it wasn’t going to be left out of the celebration. And honestly? A hockey arena full of World Cup flags might be the most Canadian thing I’ve ever seen.
Were you at a watch party this week? Drop a comment below. ⚽🇨🇦
#FIFA #WorldCup2026 #Vancouver #NewWestminster #Football #Canada #Hive
