Vancouver filled with excitement for Australia v. Turkey World Cup match

The World Cup has arrived in Vancouver and the Aussies got the party going early.

We already started at 10:00 a.m. this

morning on the beers.

WE'RE USING OUR TAXPAYERS MONEY FOR YOU, CANADA. FOR YOU.

CANADA. FOR YOU.

Australia's opponent in the first match on the West Coast is Turkey. They're

here TOO.

YEAH, OVER THE MOON. WE'RE SO EXCITED.

Closed off to cars, the downtown pedestrian zone is packed. A parade of nations checking out iconic Granville Street. It's a vibe reminiscent of the

Street. It's a vibe reminiscent of the 2010 Olympics.

We've been to FIFA Fan Festival and a Granville Island watch party. The energy

is amazing. The city is well prepared and everyone is so happy for World Cup so far.

Special installations range from soccer to snakes and plenty of opportunity to eat and drink. Tonight, about 50,000 fans will fill nearby BC Place watching

the Socceroos and Crescent Stars kick off their FIFA journey.

Excited. Can you not tell?

Positive. We've got THIS GAME. THREE

POINTS.

They'll compete on a multi-million dollar newly planted grass pitch, which will be match tested for the first time.

It's part of close to 200 million in upgrades inside the 43-year-old building to bring it up to FIFA standards.

Just like Canada's clash with Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto yesterday, the match is not sold out. Though it

appears there are only a small number of the stadium seats left to fill. Tickets

were available Saturday on both FIFA's official portal and the resale market.

The cheapest in the upper level going for between 550 and $600.

The next match in Vancouver is a big one. That's Thursday when the Canadians

one. That's Thursday when the Canadians host Qatar. And after Canada's dramatic

host Qatar. And after Canada's dramatic tournament opening draw, they're still looking for that first ever World Cup win, which could be mandatory to move on to the knockout round. Andrew Johnson,

CTV News, Vancouver.