VANCOUVER — The FIFA World Cup arrives in Vancouver tonight when Australia faces Turkey in the first tournament game at BC Place.
The match will also serve as the first World Cup test of BC Place’s newly installed natural grass surface, a temporary pitch built over the stadium’s artificial turf and supported by irrigation, ventilation and UV-light systems.
Watch the match at midnight ET Sunday or 9pm PT Saturday LIVE on TSN1/3/4, TSN.ca and the TSN App.
Players will be the first to use the temporary pitch under match conditions after months of construction and preparation aimed at meeting FIFA’s standards for a World Cup playing surface.
Australia, ranked 27th in the world, is making its sixth straight World Cup appearance and seventh overall after reaching the round of 16 in Qatar in 2022.
Turkey, ranked 22nd, is back on soccer’s biggest stage for the first time since finishing third at the 2002 World Cup.
The Turkish side had some strong words earlier in the week in their preparation for Australia.
“I think we will dominate [Saturday], the game, because we have more qualities and a more talented team,” captain Hakan Calhanoglu said Friday of Australia. “So we will see [Saturday] what happens.”
“He’s allowed to have his own opinion,” Australia midfielder Aiden O’Neill said Friday about Calhanoglu’s comments. “We’ve got quality players on our team, too, so we’re ready.”
Calhanoglu, a 32-year-old midfielder who won a Serie A championship this season with Inter Milan, and Turkish manager Vincenzo Montella also complimented the Socceroos.
“I would like to use some of their techniques because I think they are interesting techniques,” Montella said.
Turkey will be trying to make a strong impression after an extended layoff from the World Cup. They are led by Real Madrid’s 21-year-old star midfielder Arda Guler, who was involved in a shocking 44 per cent of Turkey’s goals in games in which he participated during the 2025-26 qualifying campaign.
Described as “an undisputed, elite, world-class talent” by former French star Thierry Henry, Guler is expected to team up with 21-year-old Kenan Yildiz of Juventus to provide a formidable attack.
The United States kicked off Group D action with a 4-1 victory over Paraguay on Friday night, a dominant showing that put Group D on notice. Only three Groups at the World Cup have three teams ranked in FIFA’s top 30 - Group D (USA, Turkey and Australia), Group G (Belgium, Iran and Egypt) and Group J (Argentina, Austria and Algeria).
The game marks the start of Vancouver’s seven-match World Cup schedule. Canada is slated to face Qatar on June 18 and Switzerland on June 24 at BC Place.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2026.
The Canadian Press
