The 2026 FIFA World Cup is officially underway, and Vancouver gets its first taste of the action as Australia and Türkiye get ready to kick off at BC Place on Saturday.
This tilt marks the first of seven World Cup matches in Vancouver, and anticipation has already been growing among fans as thousands gather to watch and enjoy the festivities at events across the city. Kickoff is at 9 p.m. PT.
- LIVE on TSN.CA: Australia vs Türkiye (subscribe to watch)
- Where to watch FIFA World Cup matches in Metro Vancouver
- A look at the seven World Cup games to be played at Vancouver’s BC Place
- A look at how Canada could work its way through the FIFA World Cup
The two countries are playing in Group D, which also features the United States and Paraguay.
This is Australia’s sixth straight FIFA World Cup qualification, and the squad looks to build on its Round of 16 qualification four years ago in Qatar.
Türkiye is back in the tournament for the first time since 2002, when they placed third after a semifinal elimination.
The latest cost estimate for Vancouver’s hosting duties is between $685 million and $729 million—or between $98 million and $104 million per game. The municipal, provincial and federal governments are sharing the costs.
Follow along here for live updates throughout Saturday’s game and after the final whistle:
6:15 p.m. PT: Türkiye supporters at the ready in Vancouver
Türkiye fans were found at Jonathan Rogers Park on Saturday afternoon ahead of their march toward BC Place.
More video of their gathering has shown up on social media, capturing a massive sea of red Türkiye shirts filling the streets.
- James Paracy, CTV News Vancouver
5:55 p.m. PT: Green and gold gathering
Socceroos fans gathered at an Irish pub called Dublin Calling after a march through the city brought them to Granville Street.
Türkiye supporters were also found getting ready for the match.
Fans told CTV News Vancouver that the first match of the FIFA World Cup is always a big one.
- James Paracy, CTV News Vancouver
5 p.m. PT: Match day road closures
Pacific Boulevard is closed to vehicle traffic from the Cambie Bridge to Carrall Street for the duration of the tournament, but match days bring more road closures to downtown Vancouver. Those roads won’t be completely out of use, though, as fan marches are expected to bring some noise to the neighbourhood.
- James Paracy, CTV News Vancouver
4:45 p.m. PT: Aussie supporters march on
Socceroos fans made their presence known in Vancouver Saturday afternoon, marching through the downtown core hours before the match.
The crowd was seen passing through the intersection of Robson and Burrard with a police escort in tow.
- James Paracy, CTV News Vancouver
4:35 p.m. PT: In case you were wondering
Visiting Vancouver for the World Cup and looking to partake in some legal cannabis? The Vancouver Police Department has shared some advice for visitors.
- Ian Holliday, CTV News Vancouver
4:15 p.m. PT: Socceroos stroll downtown Vancouver
Australia’s players took a final pre-match stroll around downtown Vancouver Saturday afternoon, posing for photos with passing fans outside the Vancouver Art Gallery.
British Columbia is home to nearly half of Canada’s Australian-born population, and thousands more have made the trip from Down Under for the tournament.
- Ian Holliday, CTV News Vancouver
What’s at stake
While this is the first match of the tournament for Australia and Türkiye, the other two teams in Group D—the United States and Paraguay—have already played each other.
The Americans dominated Paraguay, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first half and finishing with a 4-1 victory.
A win for either team at B.C. Place tonight would see them keep pace with the USA at the top of the group table on three points. A draw, meanwhile, would leave Australia and Türkiye with one point apiece heading into their matchups with the co-hosts and the South Americans.
Australia plays the U.S. in Seattle on June 19 before finishing group play against Paraguay in the San Francisco Bay Area on June 25.
Türkiye plays Paraguay in the Bay Area on June 19 and the U.S. in Los Angeles on June 25.
- Ian Holliday, CTV News Vancouver
‘The energy’s amazing’
The World Cup has arrived on the west coast, and the signs were impossible to miss Saturday afternoon on Granville Street.
Fans from around the world gathered along a temporarily vehicle-free stretch of the iconic entertainment corridor, taking in the soccer-themed installations and watch parties that are part of Metro Vancouver’s lengthy slate of FIFA offerings.
“We’ve been to the FIFA fan festival and Granville Island watch party,” said Irem Cingoz, a fan who travelled from Melbourne, Australia. “The energy’s amazing. The city’s well prepared and everyone is so happy for the World Cup so far.”
- Read more: World Cup fever arrives in Vancouver
- Andrew Johnson, CTV National News
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Massive welcome for Team Canada
When Team Canada arrives in Vancouver for its second World Cup group stage match against Qatar, it can expect to receive a massive west coast welcome. Literally.
Workers at Vancouver International Airport have carved a giant, bilingual message for the team into the grass of Sea Island adjacent to the airport’s runways.
- Ian Holliday, CTV News Vancouver
‘Once in a lifetime’
Ramazan Kilic says he will get goosebumps when Türkiye’s national anthem rings through B.C. Place Stadium as the World Cup spotlight falls on Vancouver Saturday night.
He says he’s one of as many as 35,000 Turkish fans expected to pack the stadium as their nation takes on Australia in its first FIFA World Cup match since 2002.
“I said, ‘You know what? It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We will just go to the game,’” he told The Canadian Press.
- The Canadian Press
Looking for last minute tickets? They’re available.
On the morning of the first-ever FIFA World Cup game in Vancouver, there were still tickets available for Saturday’s night’s group stage match between Australia and Türkiye.
If you’re hoping to snag a last-minute entry into B.C. Place, you can hit the resale market or the official FIFA portal, and perhaps surprisingly, the biggest “bargains” on both are similar.
On the official FIFA portal, the vast majority of the stadium appeared to be sold out, but there were upper level tickets available in section 407 for $530. There were also lowers up for grabs, in sections 210, 213, 214, 215, 216, and 217 for $630.
On StubHub, there were tickets available all over the place, with some people asking for thousands of dollars a seat, but that was not the norm. The lowest listings were between $550-$600 for seats primarily in the upper 400 level.
FIFA has taken a lot of heat for charging record ticket prices for this year’s tournament. In Toronto Friday, at Canada’s opening draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina, there was a smattering of empty seats.
A last-minute ticket to Canada’s next match against Qatar in Vancouver on June 18 will cost you $849 on Stub Hub to sit in the upper level, while only lower level tickets remain on the FIFA portal. They are priced at $1,050 and up.
- Andrew Johnson, CTV National News
Türkiye and Australia teams land in B.C.
Ahead of B.C. Place’s first match of the tournament Saturday, the participating national teams landed at YVR earlier in the week.
Türkiye arrived Thursday to a throng of fans carrying flags and coloured smoke outside the team’s hotel in downtown Vancouver.
Australia’s Socceroos arrived in Vancouver on Friday.
Both teams have their base camps in the United States. Türkiye’s is located in Mesa, Ariz., while Australia is operating out of the San Francisco Bay area.
- Ian Holliday, CTV News Vancouver
International fans pour into Vancouver
Ahead of Saturday’s game, an influx of soccer fans from around the world arrived to cheer on their favourite teams.
Lachlan Carter landed from Australia on Monday to cheer on his national team—nicknamed the “Socceroos.”
“Boys, you’ve done all the work. The whole country’s behind you. Just rip in, give it a red-hot crack,” Carter said.
- The Canadian Press
