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A fan in Vancouver lights a flare last Sunday to celebrate Canada’s progression to the World Cup round of 16, a first for the men’s national team.Lee Smith/Reuters
Local governments, bars and other venues have been ramping up plans for Saturday’s FIFA World Cup game between Canada and Morocco by adding extra watch party events and bringing in additional staff to accommodate large crowds of fans looking for spots to take in the historic match.
The host cities of Toronto and Vancouver have been holding public viewing parties at official FIFA Fan Fest sites and other locations throughout the tournament, while municipal governments and others have been holding their own events in cities across the country. Those are in addition to the official Canada Soccer House venues in both cities and countless sports bars that have been packed with fans.
Canada Soccer had booked a space in Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre for its Canada Soccer House watch parties and interactive installations until Thursday for the Portugal-Croatia match – the last game hosted in the city.
Organizers announced earlier this week that they would host a 2,000-person-capacity watch party on the Harbourfront Centre grounds, as well as at the Canada Soccer House North Vancouver at The Shipyards. They expect both events to be fully booked.
But making several contingency plans for fan celebrations based on how far Canada makes it in the tournament can be a complex undertaking that only gets more complicated as the event progresses, says Paulo Senra, chief communications officer for Canada Soccer.
“It’s a really long process every single time. … We’re dealing with flights for staff back home, we’re dealing with players, we’re dealing with charters, with conversations with FIFA about hotels,” he says. “This is just one layer that any federation has to go through, especially if you’re one of the host nations.”
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The Brazen Head Irish Pub, located in Toronto’s Liberty Village neighbourhood a short walk from BMO Field – which is called Toronto Stadium for the duration of the tournament – is no stranger to game-day watch parties.
Since the start of the World Cup, they’ve had lineups for almost every game showing, whether Canada was scheduled to play or not, said Cam Parra, vice-president of FAB Restaurant Concepts, which owns the Brazen Head. The pub has upgraded its audio-visual system, hired extra staff and arranged for food and supply drop-offs to take place overnight instead of during the day, to accommodate what Mr. Parra calls a “sizeable lift” in guest volume since the start of the tournament.
He anticipates Saturday’s game will have a distinct energy.
“I think [it’s] going to be extra special,” he said. “It’s going to be a great time. I always like to say it’s almost, if not more, electric than actually being at the stadium sometimes.”
At the Red Card Sports Bar and Eatery in downtown Vancouver, bar manager Cameron Richardson has been assembling ingredients for his signature red-hued shooters: Campari, cranberry juice and lemonade. “When Canada scores, I like to bring them out to the tables to fans and kind of get the vibes going.”
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Canada’s 1-0 win over South Africa in Inglewood, Calif., secured Saturday’s matchup with Morocco in the round of 16 in Houston.FRANK GUNN/The Canadian Press
He’s expecting a lineup outside the bar’s front door beginning around 9 a.m., with eventually hundreds of patrons clamoring for a seat at the watch party. The sports bar is only a few blocks away from Granville Street, which the city has transformed into a pedestrian zone with expanded patios, vendors and live entertainment.
“It’s pretty insane. The streets will just be packed after certain games,” he said. “But it’s kind of cool to see … even if you’re cheering for your own country. It’s just really neat to see the pride and the joy and how it brings everyone out and everyone together.”
Some cities have added additional public viewing events. The City of Ottawa, for example, has partnered with Canadian Heritage to host a FIFA watch party at LeBreton Flats Park, the site of the Ottawa Bluesfest.
The City of Toronto has been showing games at Nathan Phillips Square, in front of City Hall, throughout the tournament, though the screening of the Portugal-Croatia match on Thursday was cancelled due to extreme heat. The City has since confirmed it will be broadcasting the Canada-Morocco match at Nathan Phillips Square. Official FIFA Fan Festivals in Toronto and Vancouver will be showing the game as well.
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Some fans, however, are hoping to catch the historic game in a slightly lower-key environment. Jean Na, who lives in Toronto’s Little Italy neighbourhood, plans to find a local patio along College Street that’s showing the match, rather than brave what could be unusually large crowds at some of the public watch parties. “I thought about going to the Fan Festival, but I saw the video of the traffic jam … so I’m not going to rough it up like that,” she said. “I’m just going to go somewhere mellow around me with a couple of friends.”
In Victoria, Matthew Scott will be joining a watch party held downtown in Market Square, a historic, open-air public square near the city’s Chinatown. Many of the attendees, said Mr. Scott, may remember the FIFA World Cup of 1986, the first for the Canadian men’s team.
Mr. Scott said he’s still hoping Canada might “get some revenge” against Morocco. The Canadian team faced them in the 2022 World Cup, losing 2-1 in the group stage of the tournament.
“We could win this game. It’s not without a doubt, but you know, I’m optimistic that we’re going to have a really good game.”