VANCOUVER — The World Cup spotlight has fallen on Vancouver, with the city awash in green, gold, red and white as Australia faces Turkey at BC Place Stadium, after years of buildup.
There were a few empty seats visible at the 9 p.m. kickoff, after the so-called “last mile” walk to the stadium was thronged with fans for the first of seven matches to be played in Vancouver.
The two fan bases have been battling for volume in the arena, with the Turkish crowd unleashing ear-piercing whistles and the Australians responding with chants of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!”
Fans outside the arena chanted, cheered, and set off smoke canisters in their national colours throughout the day, and there was a heavy security presence, with dozens of police visible, some carrying long guns.
But the mood has been like a day-long party on the first weekend of the world’s biggest sporting event, with the sun-drenched downtown heaving — including Granville Street, which has been closed to vehicles until the tournament’s July 19 conclusion.
Years of preparations that the British Columbia government says cost up to $729 million are finally being put to the test.
B.C. initially failed to join Canada’s World Cup bid in 2018, in a dispute over costs, but then-premier John Horgan got on board in 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
There has since been intense debate over whether the province is getting value for money by hosting, but those considerations seemed distant as drummers and other musicians greeted thousands of fans at Main Street Science World SkyTrain station, where crowds were directed on the last mile.
Among those walking to the stadium was Dane Johnson from Sydney, Australia, among a group of four “mates” all dressed in green and gold, except for one dressed as a kangaroo, complete with a joey in its pouch.
They said they only met in Vancouver on Friday while out drinking.
“Everyone who watches Australia play are friends, mates,” Johnson said, adding that Vancouver locals were so friendly he found it “a little bit suspicious.”
They had already drunk so much beer together that the pub ran out, the group said.
Avid sports fan Paul Hecht from Vancouver, whose wife is Australian, said he was at his first World Cup, after attending the Olympics, Stanley Cups and other major events.
He said getting to the stadium was so efficient it was “almost overkill.”
Hecht, who also has tickets to the Canada-Switzerland match at BC Place on June 24, said ticket prices for him, his wife and two kids were “criminal.”
“In the past, going to these global sporting events would have been a badge of honour; now it’s conflicting feelings of pride and shame at the same time.”
After years of buildup, Turkey fan Ramazan Kilic from Maple Ridge, B.C., wasn’t concerned about spending thousands to attend the game, noting that it had been 24 years since Turkey last made the World Cup.
He was sharing the occasion with his wife, his two children, his brother, his sister, and his brother-in-law. He said he was excited to get the four tickets for his immediate family for a total of $5,000.
“I said, ‘You know what? It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We will just go to the game.’ My kids love soccer, so I said, ‘Why not?’”
Thousands of fans without tickets, meanwhile, flocked to the official FIFA Fan Festival at Hastings Park in East Vancouver, where organizers said the venue’s amphitheatre was full for the earlier Brazil-Morocco match, which was played in New Jersey and ended in a 1-1 draw.
The crowd was thinner yet still enthusiastic for the Australia-Turkey pairing.
The amphitheatre has emerged as one of the most high-energy places to watch the World Cup in Canada.
The day before the Turkey-Australia match, videos on social media showed both teams enjoying the city.
The Turkish national team were seen walking Vancouver’s seawall on Friday evening, while a video shared by Australia’s team showed players taking in the city’s landmarks and posing for selfies with fans.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2026.
— With files by Wolfgang Depner in Victoria
Brieanna Charlebois and Nono Shen, The Canadian Press
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