‘A dream come true’: Sask. swept up in World Cup fever

The World Cup buzz is strong in Regina as fans look forward to seeing Team Canada play on home soil for their game against Qatar. Jacob Carr has more.

Despite some of the highest ticket prices the FIFA World Cup has ever seen, Canadian fans of the beautiful game have not been discouraged from watching their team play on home soil.

For Regina’s Moises Canales-Lavigne, getting to see Team Canada take on Switzerland in Vancouver next week is a lifelong dream.

“This is going to be my first World Cup match I’ve ever attended, and I’m pretty excited for it because I never thought I’d get to see my country host the World Cup. But it’s a dream come true honestly because this is something I’ve been waiting for since I was a kid,” he said.

Due to high ticket demand, not every Canadian soccer fan was lucky enough to snag tickets to Team Canada’s last group stage match.

“I had two Canada vs. Switzerland tickets in the cart, made a phone call to see if someone else was in, my brother. And by the time he said yes, I hit checkout and the tickets were unavailable,” said Canadian soccer fan Taylor Haid.

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Haid grew up in Regina and now resides in Kelowna, B.C.

He played soccer throughout his childhood and still plays men’s league.

The former Saskatchewanian said he couldn’t pass up an opportunity to attend at least one World Cup match, even if the New Zealand vs. Belgium ticket cost him over $500.

It’s not just the game for Haid; it’s the experience of the entire event.

“Tens of thousands of fans, different cultures, everybody coming together and walking down Granville Street, walking down these places that I don’t think have seen this much excitement and passion since probably the 2010 Vancouver Olympics,” he said.

Canada earned their first World Cup win on Thursday with a 6-0 win over Qatar, who were issued two red cards.

That sets up a huge match against Switzerland, with first place in Group B on the line.

“The buzz and the atmosphere, not only in that stadium but in that whole city is going to be amped up to a 10 on the scale,” Canales-Lavigne said.