PHOTOS: Sun, soccer fun at Surrey Fan Zone for World Cup opener
Published 3:50 pm Thursday, June 11, 2026
The weather was perfect for Game 1 of the FIFA World Cup at Surrey Soccer Fan Zone on Thursday, June 11.
A few hundred fans enjoyed warm sunshine and a light breeze at Surrey Civic Plaza as they watched Mexico beat South Africa on a big screen set up at the south end of the plaza.
Admission is free at Surrey’s official “watch party” site, which has soccer-related activities, food and bar service, live music on select days and other attractions.
Fans young and old can sit on chairs in the sun or under cover of a large tent during the 39-day men’s soccer tournament, played in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
“It’s a great way to kick off the World Cup here in Surrey with a great crowd and an exciting game,” raved Dan Nielsen, fan zone head planner. “We’re loving the community feel of this, and we’re so happy with the way things are going.”
Game 1 start at Surrey Soccer Fan Zone at Civic Plaza, outside city hall. Perfect weather for #WorldCup opener, played in Mexico City (Mexico vs. South Africa). ☀️
Mexico just scored while I was tweeting. lol.
Details: https://t.co/Twdd79FUTt pic.twitter.com/VTnR1zkgxA
— Tom Zillich (@TomZillich) June 11, 2026
Big crowds are expected for Canada’s games starting at noon Friday, June 12, when special guests Jeevan Badwal (Surrey-raised Whitecaps FC midfielder) and Carl Valentine (1986 World Cup player, Whitecaps ambassador) will help Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke officially open the fan zone, at 13450 104 Ave.
“We have capacity for close to 3,000 people here,” Nielsen noted. “We have our security team in place to make sure that if we reach capacity, we have a safe family-friendly event for people to enjoy.”
Surrey Police have installed a mobile public safety camera unit at the plaza “to support crowd safety and deter criminal activity to keep these events safe and fun for all ages,” the department posted on social media.
Mexico fans Susana and Emmanuel cheered on their team on opening day.
“We live nearby and had plans to go to Vancouver today,” Susana said, “but I opened my phone and saw the stories here in Surrey and thought, you know what, I think it’s going to be a good time. So, we just came by to check it out, and it looks so good. I didn’t expect all of this, with the games and bar and all. I didn’t know this was going here, and I highly recommend. I’m coming back.”
Inside Surrey’s Soccer Fan Zone for Game #1 of the #WorldCup. Decent crowd here, mostly Mexico supporters. pic.twitter.com/9qvR7LQ3ua
— Tom Zillich (@TomZillich) June 11, 2026
The fan zone is first of three in Surrey, with others coming to Cloverdale Agriplex (starting July 1) and South Surrey Athletic Park (July 14). Look for the schedule and other details on surreysoccerfanzones.ca.
A soccer fan, Civic Hotel general manager Kristin Bishop is thrilled to have the fan zone at Surrey Civic Plaza, steps from the 144-room hotel and Dominion Bar + Kitchen.
“We have reservations for guests coming from around the world, as far away as Australia and Peru, so it’s a very exciting time for us,” Bishop said. “We know some of them are going to the games (in Vancouver), for sure, and they’ll probably also visit this fan zone, where we have the restaurant on-site (as Kick-Off Kitchen) offering match-day menus and specials.”
Hotel guests can see the big screen from the pool deck on the fourth floor.
“We’re utilizing the deck for some events for hotel guests and loyalty members, match-day meetup events with facepaint, temporary tattoos and some games to play,” Bishop noted.
“The City of Surrey has a proven record of producing award-winning events, and this plaza really lends itself well to hosting community events,” she added. “We get very excited every time we see programming happening on the plaza. It’s a natural benefit to guests staying with us.”
Pretty cool pitch-like photo-op inside Civic Hotel, next to Surrey Soccer Fan Zone on the plaza. #SurreyBC pic.twitter.com/Qjim8Ng70d
— Tom Zillich (@TomZillich) June 11, 2026