Sea of red fills Vancouver streets ahead of historic World Cup match

Thousands gathered early Wednesday in Vancouver to march to the biggest game yet in Canadian men’s soccer history.

Organized by a group called the Voyageurs, faithful fans who have cheered on the national team for years, the march saw people from cities across Canada turn out in their red and white.

“It’s palpable, its pretty amazing to be a part of it,” said Sarah Cameron, who traveled from Edmonton to take in the match.“I was getting pretty emotional.”

Escorted by RCMP officers on horseback and shrouded at times by smoke, the mass snaked its way along the so-called last mile from Science World to BC Place

“You can really feel the World Cup vibe here, and I can see why they’re calling it the number 1 host city,” said Matty Alex, who flew from Toronto to watch the game, and said the the atmosphere was superior to that in his hometown.

While the result on the field wasn’t the one so many wanted, the pure joy and public celebration on the street was unlike anything many have seen here before.

“We thought it would be as big, if not bigger, than the Olympics,” said Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim just before the march. “We’ve never had this—even during the gold medal game, and that was an amazing time,” Sim added.

The next Canada game won’t be in Vancouver, but expect national pride to be on full display Sunday, as the team—cheered on by a surging fanbase—plays its next biggest game.