Updated ,first published
Vancouver: Socceroos fans tell you they have spent more than $15,000 to be in North America for the 2026 World Cup, so when they enter BC Place Vancouver to watch Australia play Turkey on Sunday (AEST) and see that a beer costs more than $20, they might not be too shocked.
Downtown Vancouver is overrun with green and gold, building on a smattering of Socceroos jerseys that appeared at the start of last week. Now, Australian football fans have become inescapable, and their optimism for how the team may go is contagious.
“We have a better team than we did four years ago, and the fact we came second in that group gives me great hope this time around,” says Max Tricarico, 24, sitting in downtown Vancouver’s Granville Street, a main road that has been cleaned up and transformed into a pedestrian mall for the tournament.
According to FIFA, Australia ranks among the top 10 nations this World Cup in terms of supporter ticket purchased, sitting alongside footballing countries including England, Germany and Brazil – and the three host nations.
It is predicted 10,000 Australians will be inside the 54,400-seat roofed stadium on Sunday, with most travelling with the team for at least two more games against the US in Seattle and Paraguay in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Socceroos coach Tony Popovic praised the travelling supporters in his pre-game press conference, saying: “We’ve seen … so many Australian fans walking the streets here in Vancouver; it’s wonderful.”
Melbourne-born Steve Tomamichel, who moved to Canada eight years ago, and his partner Courtney Amlinger say the World Cup has brought a buzz to the city – even if many Canadians have not yet gotten caught up in it.
“It’s a good energy in the city. I’d say the last time it was like this was when Taylor Swift came to town, but this is 20 times better,” Amlinger said.
Much has been made of the exorbitant ticket prices for this World Cup, meaning that following Australia requires more than just a healthy annual leave balance.
“I think every football fan who travels the world for football knows what it is like,” said Les Street, who has arrived in Vancouver for his fourth World Cup. “I’ve spent just under $6000 on tickets [for six games this tournament], and I’m looking to go to more games, but the cost factor is limiting.”
A sneak peek at what Australian fans can expect to pay when they get into the ground shows beers start at $C20 ($20.30) for a 591 millilitre can or about $C16 for a pint. Premium options will set you back $C26.
Food, by Australian stadium standards, seems what you’d expect for a major tournament run by FIFA. A slice of pizza will cost you $C10.50, a Caesar salad $C19.75 and a packet of chips $C3.75. A bottle of water, a contentious issue after FIFA banned them, only to overturn the ban, is $C5.75.
Dale Roberts is at his first World Cup with partner Mike Jones, having arrived home only weeks ago after travelling to Austria to cheer on Delta Goodrem as she performed at Eurovision. The Eurovision finals ticket, obtained late, cost $750 for three days. The cost is similar to a ticket for one match – and this is just the group stage.
“We’re massive sports fans and Eurovision fans. So Australia, whatever it is, Eurovision, World Cup – if Australia is involved, we will try and get there and support,” Roberts said. “We were going to make it happen either way, having said that the prices were absolutely obscene, but it wasn’t going to stop us.”
The pair believe this trip will cost them roughly $12,000 each. They booked an Airbnb in Vancouver as soon as Australia qualified and will spend some time in Portland, Oregon, which is not hosting World Cup games, before heading to Seattle for the US game.
Will Benedict, 21, and brother Gus, 24, estimate the three-week trip will set them back at least $15,000 and “probably upwards of $20,000”.
“It’s not cheap, but it’s the World Cup,” Gus Benedict said. “And to watch Australia get a result against the US on home territory would be one of the greatest moments. If we get a result in Seattle – America’s Cup, get rid of that – it would be a great Australian moment.”
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Nick Ralston is the deputy editor and investigations editor for The Sydney Morning Herald. He has previously spent time as news editor, justice editor and world editor.Connect via X or email.
