Canada's big World Cup win well worth the wait for Vancouver fans

Jubilant fans at the Granville Island Watch Party in Vancouver celebrate after Canada defeats South Africa 1-0 in the World Cup round of 32 match on Sunday, June 28, 2026. Photo by Denise Ryan /PNG

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There was no place more Canadian to watch Sunday’s beautiful game than on Granville Island, where the watch party was a testament to peace, order and good vibes. Watch party crew member Akshat Makwana held crowds back at the entry point, turning down bribes from $20 to as much as $200 from latecomers hoping to gatecrash without doing what everyone else inside did: show up early.

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“Bribes are not a thing here,” said Makwana. “We don’t take them.”

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Site manager Don Robinson said the outdoor venue had to open an hour ahead of time, since so many people had lined up early. “Capacity is 1000, and after that it’s one out, one in,” explained Robinson. No one was leaving. As for the delicate matter of who gets the good seats, well, hard decisions had to be made early on in the tournament.

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“One of the hard decisions we had to make here on Granville Island included limiting VIPs,” said Robinson. The real VIPs are the people who show up, and wait in line.

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Site Director Don Robinson’s goal was to make everyone feel like a VIP at the Granville Island Watch Party for Canada’s round of 32 match. Photo by Denise Ryan /PNG

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The Granville Island Watch Party is a family-friendly zone. That means kids of all ages, dogs on leashes (they’re family members too, after all), and your grandma. It just didn’t look, or feel right, to let anyone jump the queue.

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“At a family event, it’s unfair to let some people in over others,” said Robinson.

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One woman, who had just missed the cutoff and watched the game from outside the entrance, took it upon herself to manage the odd queue jumper as a sort of act of national service. “Waiting kindly, and waiting patiently is the Canadian way to do things,” she said, declining to share her name.

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Things worked out well for the Moennick family, who left Tsawwassen at 8:30 a.m., drove to the Canada Line, made it to Granville Island at 9:30 and navigated the friendly free-for-all that landed them in prime seats: four Muskoka chairs in the front row. It was the first watch party for 17-year-old twins Jayden, (whose Delta Selects Girls (U16) squad captured the B.C. Soccer Provincial ‘A’ Cup last year), and Calum, as well as soccer parents Catherine and Jeff.

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VIP seats at the Granville Island fan fest went to whoever lined up first: left to right Jeff Moennick, Jayden Moennick, Calum Moennick and Catherine Moennick, who came from Tsawwassen. Photo by Denise Ryan /PNG

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Kabir Sood, who came wearing a Canadian flag cape along with his friend Trevor Bergunder, managed to grab seats as well and cheered as they navigated back to their seats with their beers. No worries about anyone grabbing their seats while they were out of them. The vibe was too positive for that sort of thing.

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Keeping everything spotless was Ryan Lima, who circulated with a bucket and tongs, delicately picking up the very occasional stray dropping of food. Even cups were scarce, recycled properly in their stations. “Canada games are the busiest, but definitely not the most rowdy,” said Lima. (That particular title is currently held by the Brazilian fans, apparently.)