VANCOUVER — Vancouver has had its first moment under the World Cup spotlight, with fans from Down Under partying into the night after Australia’s 2-0 win over Turkey.

The city had been awash in green, gold, red and white ahead of Saturday’s 9 p.m. kickoff at BC Place Stadium as fans of both nations thronged the downtown core, chanting, dancing and setting off smoke canisters in their national colours.

While it was the Aussies greeting the final whistle with delight, Vancouver also appeared to pass its first World Cup test, after a buildup dominated by talk of whether British Columbia was getting value from up to $729 million in hosting costs.

But those considerations took a back seat during a sun-drenched daylong blowout on the first weekend of the world’s biggest sporting event.

Lachlan Carter, who travelled from Brisbane, Australia, to watch his first World Cup match, said Vancouver “absolutely turned it on.”

“We got to see every aspect of the city, and honestly, I don’t think there’s a better host city around,” said Carter, dressed in a gold sequin minidress, an Australian flag and a green wig.

Carter is following the Australian team with his brother and will watch their next matches against the United States in Seattle and against Paraguay in San Francisco.

Vancouver’s downtown was heaving all day — including Granville Street, which is closed to vehicles until the tournament’s July 19 conclusion.

And the stadium was officially sold out, with an attendance of 52,497 for the first of seven matches to be played in Vancouver.

The two fan bases battled 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!”

There was a heavy security presence outside, with dozens of police visible, some carrying long guns.

However, the mood on the streets was mostly joyous throughout the day, with police posing for selfies or hamming it up with fans of the Socceroos, as Australia’s national men’s team is known.

B.C. had initially declined to join Canada’s World Cup bid in 2018 over cost concerns, but then-premier John Horgan got on board in 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Such history was far from the minds of fans, though.

Among the visiting supporters was Dane Johnson from Sydney, Australia, who walked to the stadium with a group of four “mates,” all outfitted 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.

Extensive road closures around the stadium meant most spectators had to walk the so-called “last mile” from Main Street Science World SkyTrain station, where crowds were greeted by drummers and other musicians, while volunteers directed the masses.

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 will also attend 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?'”

Brazilian Caio Paiva, who now lives in Vancouver, said the World Cup was showing the strength of football fandom in Canada.

“The people say that in Canada, football is not the great sport, but now you can see — everybody is crazy,” he said, gesturing at the raucous crowd behind him pouring through the streets as midnight approached. “It’s good for the country,” he added.

He wanted Brazil to hoist the trophy, but was cheering for Australia on the night. “Same colours,” he said, referring to Brazil and Australia’s similar jerseys.

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 for the Australia-Turkey pairing. Attendance was dominated by Turkey’s fans, who were deflated at the final whistle, while the smaller numbers of Australia fans jumped for joy at their team’s triumph over their higher-ranked opponents.

The amphitheatre had previously emerged as one of the most high-energy places to watch the World Cup in Canada, but the fan balance and the outcome kept things more muted Saturday night.

Ahmet Sungar, who moved to Vancouver from Turkey eight years ago, shrugged off the defeat after watching the match at the fan festival.

“The thing is, we didn’t play bad. I mean, we shot 26 at goal, but we didn’t score … out of four shots, they got two goals. It is what it is,” he said. Turkey actually outshot Australia 30-9.

Vancouver’s next match will be between Canada and Qatar on Thursday, after the home team secured its first World Cup point with a draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina last Friday.

New Zealand plays Egypt at BC Place on June 21, before Canada meets Switzerland three days later, and the Kiwis play Belgium on June 26.

Vancouver will then host knockout matches on July 2 and July 7.

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