Fans dressed in red and white marched through the city toward the Science World SkyTrain station.
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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.
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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.
