The World Cup hasn't just arrived: Canada and the World Cup have arrived. This was Vancouver's greatest sporting moment, surpassing even the sensational hosting of the 2010 Olympics. The World Cup is the biggest sporting event on Earth, a game everyone plays and understands.
Rare does smoke in the air make Vancouverites smile. But the red smoke billowing above the crowd at Main and Terminal was unlike anything this majestic city on the coast has ever seen. The Voyageurs, Canada's soccer supporters' group, had arrived and were getting ready to march to B.C. Place for Canada versus Qatar, the two nations' second match at the 2026 World Cup.
Shankar Iyer hadn't really registered what the World Cup meant until he found himself witness to the Turkish fans marching to the stadium last Saturday, around the corner from the home he shares with husband Lorne Bergovitz. "It just did not register to me until I saw the first group of people on Saturday marching over for Turkey, and that's when I realized that we have something going on here," Iyer said.
Neither Iyer nor Bergovitz were soccer fans as of Friday. "But I'm becoming a convert," Iyer said, smiling, as the Voyageurs' chants grew in energy and volume around us. "I've been watching a few games. Me and my husband are going to the PNE on the 24th to watch the screening of the game against Switzerland."
Berkovitz, also not a sports fan, piped up. "Not a sports fan! But we watched Australia against Turkey and we loved it," he said. "And now I'm so glad we spent some money and bought some Canada shirts." The couple then posed in their Canada T-shirts, maybe Canadian soccer's newest fans.
And it's all because of the vibes that led to Thursday's massive occasion. This is Vancouver at its best: showing up and putting on a bopping good party. There's also something about this marvellous stadium being right downtown, right on the edge of False Creek. It's an environment geared toward welcoming people outside, giving them extra energy. Humans left the ocean but we still love the ocean. There's an energy there that's unique to this place.
Thursday's event was full of energy, full of smiles, full of Canada. Not everyone was going to the game; many were like Iyer and Bergovitz, just there to be near the spectacle. They became the spectacle, really. The game result, a dominant win for the home team, setting up a titanic encounter with Switzerland next week, was all the better. Canada marched to the stadium with expectation and the players delivered.
More fans are sure to be won by this game, by this day, by this tournament. The prices may be sky high, but the love remains basic. This remains the game of the people and Vancouver has kept that on display.
