Vancouver turns Science World into giant World Cup soccer ball

Vancouver has turned Science World’s geodesic dome into The Beautiful Dome, a 360-degree, 40-metre-diameter recreation of the adidas Trionda, the official match ball of the FIFA World Cup 2026. The project has transformed one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks into a civic billboard for the tournament, pairing local pride with the commercial reach that comes with a mega-event.

The conversion did not happen by accident. City, stadium and Science World officials began talking about how to capitalize on the World Cup about two years ago, and a joking idea to wrap the dome like a soccer ball became a real project once the practical problems started getting solved. Adidas had to sign off on the replica, local businesses and government agencies helped pay for it, and workers used drone-captured laser measurements because the only available plans were the original hand-drawn blueprints.

Those measurements mattered because every dome panel was slightly different. The project used 131 custom-shaped and custom-sized panels, each numbered for precise placement, then fastened with special ties designed to allow some movement in the wind. Installation began on May 6 and was expected to take about four weeks, with completion anticipated in early June.

The display is meant to do more than mark the tournament. Its logo and trophy positioning were designed so television shots can capture the city, BC Place Stadium, the water and the mountains in one frame, giving Vancouver an instantly readable image for broadcasts and social media alike. Vancouver is scheduled to host seven FIFA World Cup 2026 matches at BC Place, starting with a group-stage game on June 13 and ending with a round-of-16 match on July 7, keeping the dome in view through much of the city’s tournament run.

Science World has also tied the makeover to a companion exhibition, Soccer & Technology from the FIFA Museum, which opened in Vancouver on May 15 and runs through September 7. The exhibit makes its North American debut there and highlights the connected match ball and refereeing technologies used at the highest level of the game, linking the spectacle on the dome to the mechanics of modern soccer.

The branding has not been free of criticism. Public debate has centered on the visibility of Adidas and FIFA on the dome even though neither organization paid into the installation, underscoring how quickly a civic landmark can become shared ground between tourism promotion, corporate visibility and public symbolism.