TORONTO – Outdoor-loving World Cup enthusiasts are gearing up to paddle on Lake Ontario and hike a mountain in British Columbia to catch some exciting watch parties.
This Saturday afternoon, fans in Toronto will canoe or take a ferry to the Toronto Islands to see Germany face off against Ivory Coast as part of a sold-out Destination Canada event.
From there, attendees will kayak along the shoreline of Olympic Island to view the match on a screen from their boats while it happens several kilometres away at Toronto Stadium.
The next weekend, another “natural watch” party will have people hiking one of Vancouver’s favorite trails on Grouse Mountain to access a big screen featuring the Panama-England game – or they can choose the gondola ride included with their ticket.
Destination Canada’s Suzanne Reeves, who is coordinating the watch parties, mentions that they picked locations where stunning natural scenery meets urban life.
She notes that the few hundred tickets for this weekend’s Toronto watch party were gone within just one day.
A car drives up the mountain to Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver, B. C., Friday, Jan. 3, 2020. Grouse Mountain ski resort was recently purchased by B. C. based Northland Properties. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
(The Canadian Press)
Ottawa will host a natural watch party on Wednesday at its urban Lansdowne Park for the Canada-Switzerland match, while soccer fans on the East Coast can head over to an outdoor viewing that same day at Halifax waterfront for the Scotland-Brazil game.
Reeves stated that with “all eyes on Canada” during the World Cup, these watch parties aim to showcase both locals and tourists what makes this country special.
“It has been such a pleasure to welcome the international community, and it really has helped to enliven the streets,” she said.
She added that Canada’s accessible natural beauty and friendly residents set it apart from other World Cup host nations, highlighting everything from the boardwalks and greenery at Toronto Islands to Vancouver’s stunning seascape.
“We really want people coming together and having a real experience, getting to know each other and getting to know Canada,” she said.
“So, fans of the game – we want to convert them to fans of Canada.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first June 19, 2026.
Elissa Mendes, The Canadian Press
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