Vancouver is emerging as a temporary home base for a growing wave of Australian football fans ahead of the Socceroos’ World Cup opener against Turkey, with the city’s mountains, climate and relaxed atmosphere drawing comparisons to Melbourne. Australians were already noticeable in the streets and at the World Cup fan festival, and their presence is expected to swell further as more supporters arrive in the lead-up to match day.
For Brisbane fan Colby List, who is travelling across North America with five friends, Vancouver has felt familiar from the start. After spending a week in New York before arriving in British Columbia, he said Vancouver feels much more like home, describing it as a “hilly Melbourne” with views dominated by the North Shore Mountains. That sense of familiarity is echoed by the city’s sizeable Australian community. According to the 2021 Canadian census, about 25,000 people in Canada were born in Australia, and nearly half live in British Columbia.
Many Australians have settled in the province because of its mountain lifestyle and winter sports culture. The ski resort town of Whistler, about 120 kilometres from Vancouver, is even nicknamed “Whistralia” because of its strong Australian population. A working holiday visa arrangement that allows Australians to stay in Canada for two years has helped create a steady flow of visitors who often remain in the region. Australian influence is visible in local businesses such as the Peaked Pies bakery and Moose’s Down Under pub, while Great Bear Lodge, a wildlife retreat, is managed by Melbourne-born Marg Leehane.
Some Australians have built long-term lives in Vancouver itself. Melbourne native Alojz Cuk has lived there for 12 years after meeting his Canadian wife through snowboarding. He said Australians in the city often discover unexpected connections with locals, who regularly mention family links, travel memories or Australian acquaintances. Cuk’s own chiropractor studied near Ballarat, a detail he offered as another example of the two countries’ close personal ties.
Football Australia estimates about 10,000 Australians will attend the opening match, based on ticketing data. Many are travelling fans like List, while others are expats who have made Canada their home. At the fan festival, Australian shirts, hats and colours were visible throughout the crowd, alongside supporters of other nations and local Canadians. Some families displayed multiple layers of Australian identity, from cricket shirts and Australian Open hats to Calgary Kangaroos caps, worn by children in a family from Alberta.
The Australian presence is set to grow further with organised fan activity and cultural promotion. Melbourne band The Cat Empire is scheduled to perform two gigs, while local tourism officials have brought in social media personalities to promote Vancouver to Australian audiences. A march by the Green and Gold Army is also planned along Robson Street on match day, adding to the atmosphere around the tournament.
For List, the World Cup has already delivered the familiar travelling-Australian experience of chance encounters, collective problem-solving and easy camaraderie. He said Australians abroad always seem to recognise one another, whether in restaurants, fan zones or sports bars, and quickly form a temporary community built around football, travel and shared adventure.
