Thousands of Australians set to invade Vancouver for first FIFA World Cup match
As the Socceroos get set to hop into town, so are their supporters.
Thousands of Aussies are set to invade Vancouver ahead of Saturday’s first FIFA World Cup match at BC Place, featuring Australia and Türkiye.
Matt Dawson is one of them.
A diehard soccer fan from Wollongong, a city 85 kilometres south of Sydney, he’s one of the Australians behind “Socceroos Active Support,” a supporters group from the Land Down Under.
Exactly one year ago, when Australia qualified for the World Cup with a 2-1 win in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Dawson was one of the few Aussies in attendance.
Socceroos supporters in Saudi Arabia when Australia qualified for the FIFA World Cup. (Submitted)
“There were only three Australian travelling supporters that went there, other than family,” Dawson told Daily Hive from Seattle, where he’s renting an RV before heading north to Vancouver.
Dawson will be joined by many more of his countrymen at BC Place on Saturday.
“I just heard that for the first game in Vancouver, there’s a huge Australian contingent and a huge Turkish contingent,” Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said in an interview with Daily Hive. “They’re going to be marching in the streets leading up to the game. You can already feel the electricity.”
Competing countries get an allocation of eight per cent of tickets at each World Cup match. But that number could be higher for Australia at BC Place.
“Being in Vancouver, right near ‘Little Australia’ in Whistler, we’re expecting about four to five thousand Australians in the stadium and in Vancouver on match day,” Dawson said.
The Aussies are meeting at Dublin Calling on Granville Street at 3 p.m. on Saturday, well ahead of the 9 p.m. kickoff. The Irish bar is offering Australian food specials for the Socceroos supporters.
“We’re bringing the noise, the passion, and the proper Aussie pre-game atmosphere ahead of our clash with Türkiye,” the Facebook event reads.
“We’re calling on all Australians to come down to Dublin Calling,” Dawson added. “It’s open to all Aussies.”
The 2026 FIFA World Cup marks six tournaments in a row that Australia has qualified for, after the country went 32 years without an appearance at a men’s World Cup.
“Awesome to be at another World Cup,” Dawson said, before a little dig at Australia’s neighbour. “Also good to have our little brothers from New Zealand qualify for this World Cup… Little brother can enjoy a World Cup as well.”
Vancouver will also hear from New Zealand, which is making just its second appearance at a men’s World Cup since 1982. The Flying Kiwis supporters group tells Daily Hive they’re expecting 4,000 fans in town when New Zealand plays its two matches at BC Place, against Egypt on June 21 and Belgium on June 26.
They’ve already planned get-togethers at the Portside Pub and the Blarney Stone, so they appear to be well prepared.