Red, white and blue: Canada fans taste defeat for first time at World Cup

While Canada had gone into the match all but certain of reaching the knockout phase after its 6-0 rout of Qatar last Thursday, a win or draw against Switzerland would have kept the team on top of the group and brought them back to Vancouver on July 2.

Instead, they’ll be playing in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Canada fan Nick Sharp, from Vancouver, watched the match at the PNE amphitheatre in East Vancouver. He said the team had a lot of good chances and deserved some credit.

“We’re still through. It’s a historic moment,” he said.

Fans didn’t get to see captain Alphonso Davies play as had been teased by head coach Jesse Marsch in the match that saw the Swiss grab two goals early in the second half before Canada’s goal by substitute Promise David kept Canadian hopes alive until the final whistle.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, wrapped in a flag, had been part of the supporters march, while Prime Minister Mark Carney, who attended the Qatar game, was at today’s match too.

The huge pre-game marches in Toronto and Vancouver, organized by the Voyageurs fan group, have become a phenomenon as the tournament progresses.

Wednesday’s march featured fans doing the Canadian canoe row, which appears to have been inspired by the viral Viking row practised by Norwegian fans.

The Canadian version is one-sided and can be enjoyed standing as if paddling a canoe, while the Norwegian double-sided version is usually done while seated.

Canadian fan Steven Figner from Port Moody, B.C., said he was at his first men’s World Cup match — but in 2015 he watched the national women’s team defeat the Swiss at BC Place to advance to the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup.

He was denied victory on Wednesday though, or even the draw that he had hoped for “at a minimum.”

Brother and sister Abby and Robert Swannell flew in from Winnipeg for the match.

“The atmosphere in the entire city for the tournament is amazing,” Robert Swannell said.

The tournament had brought everyone together, for something “we can all be part of,” Abby Swannell added.

The Swiss fans were outnumbered by Canada supporters in BC Place Stadium, but it was hard to tell visually. Both contingents were dressed primarily in red and white, the national colours of both Canada and Switzerland, as they flooded into the stadium.

Visiting Swiss fan Peter Sprenger, from Basel, said it didn’t matter if his compatriots were in the minority because “the whole stadium is going to be red.”

The first-time visitor to Vancouver has been following the Swiss team, attending matches in Los Angeles and San Francisco, but Vancouver was “the best city,” he said.

Switzerland’s consulate general in Vancouver told Swiss fans on social media before the match to have their red shirts ready, flags packed and “cowbells polished,” while urging their team on in trilingual fashion: “Hopp Schwiiz! Hop Suisse! Forza Svizzera!”

Fifteen-year-old Matthew Ring from Vancouver was in the front row at the city’s FIFA Fan Festival for the second Canada match.

He and his boisterous friends were featured in news footage of Canada’s defeat of Qatar and they were back for more, pressed up against the railing in front of the big screen at the PNE amphitheatre. He said he got up at 6:30 Wednesday morning and queued for hours to get his prime position.

“Because I love Canada so much,” said Ring.

It was the fourth match at BC Place, with the next game involving New Zealand and Belgium on Friday, before the round-of-32 knockout match on July 2, then a round-of-16 knockout on July 7.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2026.

Brieanna Charlebois and Nono Shen, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Red, white and blue: Canada fans taste defeat for first time at World Cup

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