World Cup's first Vancouver match shatters transit records
Australia vs. Turkey on June 13 drew 1.03 million boardings—the busiest Saturday since the 2010 Olympics.
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Vancouver's first FIFA World Cup match delivered a historic ridership surge for Metro Vancouver's transit system.
The June 13 match between Australia and Turkey, kicking off at 9 p.m. at BC Place Stadium, generated 1.03 million total boardings across the system—a 14% jump from a typical Saturday. SkyTrain ridership near the stadium hit its highest Saturday event-day level since the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The numbers tell the story: 447,000 SkyTrain boardings (up 25%), 558,000 bus boardings (up 6.6%), 24,500 SeaBus trips (up 37.4%), and 500 West Coast Express boardings on the special weekend service. The stadium traffic alone exceeded Taylor Swift's second-to-last Eras Tour concert in December 2024 and the Whitecaps match with Lionel Messi in April 2025.
TransLink expanded service across the network for the match, running SkyTrain and SeaBus an extra hour past 2 a.m. The No. 11 FIFA Fan Festival Express—a dedicated high-capacity bus route running every five minutes—connected the Expo Line's 29th Avenue Station to the PNE's Pacific Coliseum entrance in about 15 minutes.
Six more World Cup matches are scheduled at BC Place through July 7, including Canada vs. Qatar on Thursday, June 18 at 3 p.m. and New Zealand vs. Egypt on Sunday, June 21 at 6 p.m.