#CanadaRED support pushes ticket sales past 35,000

More than 35,000 tickets have been sold for Canada Soccer’s crucial 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ Qualifiers match in Vancouver on Friday 25 March. The international match, presented by Bell, at BC Place promises an incredible home atmosphere, with growing sales underlying #CanadaRED’s 12th man support for the Canada’s Men’s National Team.

The Friday night crowd will set the stage for the home-and-away Canada-Mexico series, with Canada the hosts on Friday and Mexico the hosts on Tuesday 29 March in the Mexican capital at the famous Estadio Azteca. Both matches will be broadcast live in Canada on TSN2, with the Friday match broadcast at 22.00 ET / 19.00 PT and the Tuesday match broadcast at 22.30 ET / 19.30 PT.

“We want to see a sea of red at BC Place,” said Benito Floro, Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team Head Coach. “Canada’s support has been excellent everywhere in Canada. What happened in Vancouver in November was marvelous and unforgettable, so we can’t wait for more of the same in March.”

Canada, Mexico, Honduras, and El Salvador make up Group A of the CONCACAF semi-final stage on the road to the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™. Mexico leads the group with six points, while Canada is in second with four points after both a home win and away draw in November.

Canada has always performed well against Mexico in the province of British Columbia, with the home crowd always playing a key role. In previous appearances in Vancouver, Burnaby, and Victoria, Canada has always either won or drawn against their visitors. For Friday 25 March, the 35,000+ fans already establishing a new attendance record for Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team in the province of British Columbia, beating the previous record 20,108 on 13 November for Canada’s 1:0 win over Honduras.

SUPPORT #CANADARED, BE CANADA’S 12th MAN
The Canada-Mexico match promises a memorable atmosphere. With the lower bowl already full, upper bowl seating is available to fans in all three main price points starting as low as $25 (plus applicable fees). The popular ‘Me+3’ offer will remain available in select sections, available directly via Tickmaster.ca by selecting the ‘Me+3’ offer.

Group discounts will continue to be offered, with groups of 10 or more eligible to receive discounts of up to 30% off regularly priced sections. Group tickets will be processed on a first come, first served basis, for complete information and to submit a request for tickets visit the group ticket section on migmultidev-canada-soccer.pantheonsite.io/tickets.

Canadian Supporters have been allocated a number of dedicated sections in the west end of BC Place. Fans wishing to sit in the Canadian supporter sections are encouraged to visit the Voyageurs website for more information and to purchase tickets through thevoyageurs.org. Please note that persistent standing will be permitted in these sections.

Canadian fans interested in travelling to Mexico to support Canada’s Men’s National Team at Azteca are encouraged to check out the custom travel package which is being offered by The Supporters Section Sports Travel. For more information, visit https://www.thesupporterssection.com/event/canada-at-mexico-world-cup-qualifying/.

Visiting Supporters will be accommodated in dedicated sections in the northeast corner of BC Place. Fans wishing to sit in these sections should select “Mexican supporters” from the drop-down menu on the Ticketmaster event page or identify as visiting supporters through the group ticket sales process.

Complete ticket information is available at migmultidev-canada-soccer.pantheonsite.io/tickets.

ROAD TO THE 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP RUSSIA
The 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ is the biggest single-sport event in the world. From 209 member associations from around the world, 32 finalists will qualify for the 32-day event that is played in 11 cities from 14 June to 15 July 2018.

Canada are amongst the 12 CONCACAF nations in the hunt for a spot at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia. The remaining nations have been split into three groups for the continent’s 2015-2016 semi-final stage. The top-two nations in each group will advance to the final round in 2017, from which three nations qualify for Russia 2018 and the fourth team advances to an intercontinental playoff.

In CONCACAF Round 4, Canada will play six matches, with both a home and away encounter against Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico. Matches will be played over three international windows, with Canada gaining a valuable four points after the first two matches with a victory over Honduras (1:0) at home on 15 November 2015 and a draw in El Salvador (0:0) on 17 November 2015.

Following the home and away matches with Mexico on 25 and 29 March, 2016, Canada then faces Honduras away and El Salvador at home again in September 2016.