Updated: 2026-06-19 | Real-time information should be confirmed against official announcements
The 2026 World Cup has lifted the soccer atmosphere across the entire city of Vancouver, and the story with the most heart is not some big-box retailer but a veteran soccer gear shop on East Hastings Street whose sign reads North America Sports. According to a Reuters report, from behind the counter the shop’s owner, Ferruccio Susin, has watched with his own eyes as the dream he had held in his heart for decades — “the World Cup being played on Canadian soil” — came true.
Susin is an Italian-born immigrant who came to Canada with his family at the age of ten. He founded this shop in 1976, originally as a business selling ski boots; later, after two winters in a row with almost no snow left ski equipment going unwanted, he switched to soccer gear in 1978. Back then he saw Vancouver Whitecaps fans lining up outside the ticket office, so he moved the shop to East Hastings Street; in 1983, when the Whitecaps moved to Gastown, Susin took over the team’s former storefront, and the shop still operates there to this day. All told, this business has accompanied Vancouver’s soccer fans for nearly half a century.
Step inside the shop and the walls are covered with club and national-team jerseys — from Messi’s Argentina and Ronaldo’s Portugal to Real Madrid, Liverpool, Benfica and Flamengo — plus all manner of soccer balls, boots and training gear. For many fans who travel from afar, this kind of small shop where “a single wall is a history of soccer” offers more treasure-hunting fun than an official merchandise store. In his interview, Susin described this period as “wonderful, a dream come true,” and said that as throngs of visitors pour in, “our shop will be known and seen by more people.” Wandering around Vancouver, the editor felt the same way: the charm of these old shops often lies in the fact that the owner himself is a living local soccer encyclopedia.
For Canadian fans planning to head to Vancouver for the matches, the more practical value of this kind of local shop — beyond buying jerseys and merchandise — is that “there’s someone to talk to”: staff who know the ropes are usually happy to share where the match-watching atmosphere is good, which nearby restaurants are tasty, and which transit routes run more smoothly. A reminder is in order: crowds in the downtown core will noticeably increase during the World Cup, and the old shop has limited space, so if you plan to shop it’s best to avoid the pre-match peak, go early, and check first whether that day’s opening hours have been adjusted. If you want to do your homework, you can read it alongside this site’s Vancouver match-watching guide and arrange shopping, transit and accommodation all at once.
On the matches themselves, here is some verified background: all of Vancouver’s games are held at BC Place, running from June 13 all the way to July 7, for a total of 7 matches, covering the group stage as well as the knockout rounds (one round-of-32 match and one round-of-16 match), including a home game for the host nation Canada. The exact match-ups, kickoff times, ticketing and real-name registration rules may be adjusted as the schedule progresses, so please refer to FIFA’s official announcements. If you want to get a head start on the schedule and broadcasts, you can also consult this site’s group-stage schedule overview and rundown of Canadian broadcast channels.
A few final practical reminders: parking around BC Place on match days fills up easily, so it’s best to make heavy use of public transit or carpooling; when fans gather in large numbers, watch out for your personal and property safety, and during crowded periods making good use of contactless payment is more convenient than carrying a lot of cash; hotel prices fluctuate considerably during this period, so it doesn’t hurt to compare several before booking. All the information in this article about the shop and the matches is subject to change, and everything should still be confirmed against the latest official announcements from FIFA and the shop.
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