Thousands of soccer fans crowded into downtown Vancouver on Saturday, June 13, 2026, ahead of the city hosting its first of seven FIFA World Cup matches at B.
C. Place Stadium.
The opening match featured a highly anticipated showdown between Australia and Turkey kicking off at 9 p. m.
PT.
City officials transformed a five-block stretch of Granville Street into a pedestrian zone to accommodate the massive influx of international visitors.
Spectators gathered at various entertainment venues, local patios, and dedicated fan hubs across Metro Vancouver to celebrate the tournament.
A group of Australian fans traveled extensively to witness the event.
They gathered outside local venues like Dublin Calling, which hosted an Australian-themed party before a planned fan march toward the stadium.
"Australians aren’t known for soccer," said Tom Walker, an Australian fan who flew from New York.
"We will be happy if we see a goal today, very very happy."
The vibrant atmosphere and local surroundings drew praise from international visitors. Many fans expressed satisfaction with the close proximity of the stadium to downtown amenities.
"I really love it here," said Vanessa Zoghbi, who accompanied Walker. "The weather is perfect.
We got to see so much just in the last 24 hours because of how close the stadium is to the city."
Supporters of the Turkish national team organized their own festivities, which included a fan parade starting from Jonathan Rogers Park in Mount Pleasant.
Fans dressed in red and white marched through the city toward the Science World SkyTrain station.
Turkish-born Hakan Ceylan traveled from Germany to experience the tournament in Canada. He expressed optimism about his team's opening match while enjoying the local environment.
"I don’t think Turkey is going to win the whole thing, I came here to celebrate soccer," said Ceylan.
"Soccer is the No. 1 sport in Turkey.
I had a FaceTime with my daughter an hour ago, I told her and my wife — go look for tickets to Vancouver, we are going to come back here together this summer."
Ceylan noted that this tournament marked a significant opportunity for his home country. Turkey last qualified for the World Cup in 2022.
"I’m so excited that we have a shot at it again," said Ceylan.
Local leadership shared the enthusiasm surrounding the major sporting event.
The tournament is scheduled to bring multiple matches to the city over the next month and a half.
"I feel giddy," said Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim during an interview with CBC News.
The opening festivities coincided with a regional heat wave, with Environment and Climate Change Canada reporting temperatures between 23 C and 30 C.
B. C.
Hydro adjusted its scheduled maintenance to ensure grid reliability during peak tournament activities.
To manage the crowds, the City of Vancouver implemented extensive traffic closures and a dedicated pedestrian corridor along False Creek known as the Last Mile.
TransLink increased its transit services and added temporary bus routes to shuttle fans between the SkyTrain and the official FIFA Fan Festival at the PNE amphitheatre.
