Fans in Vancouver greet Türkiye FIFA World Cup team with enthusiasm and smoke bombs
The first FIFA World Cup team has landed in Vancouver.
Türkiye touched down at YVR on Thursday and was greeted by local First Nations groups before boarding a bus to their hotel in Downtown Vancouver.
The team flew from their base camp in Mesa, Arizona, where they have been preparing for the tournament.
The first arrival for FIFA World Cup 2026™ has touched down at YVR. 🛬
Welcome to Vancouver, Team Türkiye. @TFF_Org pic.twitter.com/fwQFSlLbFj
— YVR (@yvrairport) June 11, 2026
Ranked 23rd in the world by FIFA, Türkiye will take on 27th-ranked Australia on Saturday night at BC Place.
Enthusiastic Turkish fans greeted their heroes outside their hotel, chanting and letting off celebratory red smoke bombs.
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Türkiye then headed to Killarney for a training session. The team was once again greeted by a large group of supporters.
#Turkiye leaves Killarney after their first training session in Vancouver.
Shouts to the fans. Came here from all over the Lower Mainland just to get a shot of the team bus. Awesome vibes. pic.twitter.com/XHcgmPdjJD
— Randip Janda (@RandipJanda) June 12, 2026
There’s sure to be representation for both Türkiye and Australia on Saturday. A Socceroos supporters club spokesperson told Daily Hive they expect approximately 4,000 travelling Australians in attendance.
Needless to say, we can expect strong support from Türkiye as well.
“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 told Daily Hive on Wednesday. “They’re going to be marching in the streets leading up to the game. You can already feel the electricity.”
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