By Divya Rajagopal and Kyaw Soe Oo
TORONTO, June 12 (Reuters) – Tickets remained unsold, an opening night fan festival was rained out and the top-ranking teams are playing in the U.S. and Mexico but visitors arriving in Toronto are determined to enjoy the first-ever World Cup soccer match played in Canada.
They have come to watch the co-hosts kick off their campaign versus Bosnia and Herzegovina in Group B on Friday.
Some travelled simply because Canada is not the U.S., though it is culturally similar. Others are just stopping over for a pint, eyeing Canada’s lower drinking age compared to the U.S.
“We are here in Toronto because of cheap flights, and we cannot drink in America because we are 20-year-olds,” said Bryden from Scotland.
Bryden and his other six friends, all dressed in the classic Scottish tartan, were roaming around the city’s iconic CN Tower in search of a local bar on Thursday.
They planned to get their share of pints before driving down to Boston on Saturday, where Scotland play their first Group C game against Haiti, and the minimum drinking age limit is 21 compared with 19 in Toronto.
Canada is also home to a large immigrant population from all over the world turning out to watch some of the visiting teams.
Irfan, 41, a Canadian citizen originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, travelled with his two children from Ottawa to cheer for his homeland on what he said was going to be a historic day for his country.
The World Cup has faced criticism in Toronto for high ticket prices, congested traffic and a stadium expansion involving temporary seating.
On Thursday, city officials abruptly shut down a fan fest during the opening Mexico-South Africa match in Mexico City due to storm warnings.
But that did not dampen the mood of fans who dispersed across the city’s bars and public arenas to continue watching the game.
Patrick Cicvak, 42, bought his tickets months ago in the hope of watching Canada play Italy. Cicvak paid C$1,300 ($930) for his ticket and is disappointed that Italy did not qualify.
“But that means we won’t have the Italian crowd fighting against (fans from) the opposite team and more support for Canada,” Cicvak said.
Canada is also benefitting from a reputation for being nicer than its southern neighbour.
“I prefer Canada over the United States right now,” said Maximilian Rott, who traveled from Munich, Germany, to watch the games in Toronto.
Germany play the Ivory Coast in the Toronto Stadium on June 20. “But if Germany advances, I got to visit the States… ” Rott, 26, said.
($1 = 1.3976 Canadian dollars)
(Divya Rajagopal in Toronto; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Ken Ferris)
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