Colombia fans want Vancouver 'to feel the love' ahead of World Cup clash against Switzerland

Columbia fans Gina Russi and Naydely Martinez in Burnaby on Monday. Photo by Arlen Redekop /PNG

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Colombians in Vancouver would like this city to feel as they do. They want you to fall in love with their team, their sport, and their culture.

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Starting at 6 p.m. Monday night, the banderazo, the legendary pre-game party, was set to be celebrated in its full, exuberant glory on Burrard Street in front of the Hyatt Regency Hotel where the Colombian national team is staying ahead of their round of 16 game against Switzerland to be played at B.C. Place on Tuesday at 1 p.m.

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For days, the legendary Fiebre Amarilla, the fan “team” that travels to every World Cup game to cheer on their players, has been hyping up the event on social media. The banderoza is not just a party. It’s a celebration of Colombian culture: “Representen bien nuestro país, dejen todo limpio, centen a todo pulmón y viven esa esperiencia como nunca.” (Represent our country well, leave everything clean, sing at the top of your lungs, and live this experience like never before.)

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The banderazo is a chance for Colombians to support their team, express national pride, share their culture, and most important, their ethic of respect for others. The fans who travel from game to game, known as the Fiebre Amarillo, will lead the singing, drumming, flag waving and salsa dancing until the team emerges from the hotel to greet the fans.

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Lara Matallana, who came from Toronto to help organize the banderazo, said some aspects of the event will differ from what might happen in Colombia. “Absolutley no fireworks,” said Matallana. “And there won’t be anyone dancing on rooftops.”

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Other things will remain the same. “You have to be happy, and you have to cheer for Colombia,” said Matallana. “And you have to wear the yellow shirt.”

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Like any good Colombian, Matallana is following all the rituals to guarantee her team’s success.

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“We do a few things to manifest the win,” said Matallana. “We wear the same shirt for the whole tournament,” said Matallana. “Some people don’t wash it, because they don’t want to wash the luck out.”

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She ate arepas (a thick corn tortilla) for breakfast, she has been listening to the all-important La Fiebre Amarilla playlist on Spotify all day, getting amped up on songs such as the drum-heavy Vamos Cafeteros (Let’s Go Coffee Growers!), Sí, Sí, Sí, and Futbolero.

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One thing she will miss is the street food such as empanadas, and the tables and grills lining the streets for the pre-game celebrations. “There are too many rules for that in Vancouver, and not enough space,” said Matallana, who added that Vancouver authorities have done everything they can to ensure things go off without a hitch.

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Columbia fans Marina Rojas, Jovanni Vargaa with kids Thaliana Vargas and brother Jhoel at a team practice facility at Killarney park in Vancouver on Monday. Photo by Arlen Redekop /PNG

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Naydely Martinez, the president of the Colombian Canadian Association, who is originally from Cali, has been working behind the scenes, meeting with the police, leaders of the Fiebre Amarilla and FIFA to make sure the positive spirit of Colombian futbol culture is celebrated at Monday’s banderazo, and the march to the stadium tomorrow.

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“To have this game in Vancouver is something unbelievable for us,” said Martinez. “We have a culture of soccer in Colombia. It is played on every street, by every kid, and watched by every family, and every grandma.”

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“We want all of you to feel the love we have for it,” said her friend Gina Russi, originally from Bogota. “Although our country is politically divided, we are united for soccer.”

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Russi has been on edge all day — due to high temperatures, multiple flights out of Bogota bringing fans have been cancelled. “The Colombian WhatsApp chats are going crazy,” said Russi. “People giving up tickets because they can’t come, other people looking for tickets.”

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The Swiss in Vancouver are planning their own show of support, with instruments that reflect their mountainous regions. “You will hear the cowbells,” said Vancouver’s consul general of Switzerland, Thomas Schneider, who played soccer until the age of 23.

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“This is historic for us. It’s the first time the Swiss have (won a knockout round game) since 1938,” said Schneider.

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Switzerland fans cheer their team on to victory against Algeria during the round of 32 match on July 2, 2026 at B.C. Place. Photo by Arlen Redekop /PNG

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Although vuvuzelas and other “manual devices that produce noise or other excessively loud sounds” are banned from B.C. Place under FIFA rules, it is unclear whether cowbells are included in that list.

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What is clear is that both sets of fans plan to show up, loud and proud.

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