Voyageurs fan – With Canada set to face Switzerland on Wednesday, the Voyageurs say their Toronto-and-Vancouver marches have grown well beyond expectations—powered by thousands of fans, chants of “allez les Rouges,” and a heartfelt tribute planned for midfielder Ismaël Koné a
On a World Cup week where everything can change in a single tackle, Rob Notenboom is watching another kind of momentum build—one that starts on the streets and carries straight into BC Place.
Notenboom. the president of the Voyageurs fan group. says the organization’s marches have drawn supporters “in a way that exceeded” even his “wildest expectations” since Canada embraced the tournament. Thousands have already joined Voyageurs-led processions through Toronto and Vancouver. and on Wednesday they’ll be out again. marching to BC Place for Canada’s match against Switzerland.
The point isn’t only noise. It’s recognition. Notenboom says the Voyageurs will honour Canadian midfielder Ismaël Koné. who suffered a broken leg in last week’s match against Qatar. During Canada’s game. they plan to print out 3. 000 copies of Koné’s number 8 to display. and they’re working on a banner that supporters will hold up during the match.
For Notenboom, the message is direct: show the players that supporters “have their backs 100 per cent.”
He led the march in Vancouver last Thursday and says he didn’t fully appreciate how big it was until he watched videos the next day. “It was just massive,” he said. “It was really something. We’re quite proud of that actually.”
The group’s events in Toronto and Vancouver have been in motion since around December. but Notenboom didn’t expect support to swell the way it did once the tournament began. He describes the energy at the marches as palpable—chanting. drumming. waving flags and smoke canisters. with thousands of fans dressed in red.
The crowd in Vancouver followed the route down the “last mile” to BC Place, and organizers led people in cries of “allez les Rouges,” plus call-and-response chants throughout.
Wednesday’s march is planned to assemble at 9:30 a.m. PT and depart at 10 a.m. from around Quebec and Central streets. Notenboom says it “will still be huge.” He expects “tons of energy” and predicts the stadium will again become “this incredible sea of red.”
Canada’s kickoff is at noon local time. If Canada wins or draws, the team will play their Round of 32 match on home turf in Vancouver.
The Voyageurs’ membership growth has already followed Canada’s milestones: numbers rose when the men’s national team qualified for the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022. and surged again as ticketing opened for 2026. Notenboom says the interest has been so intense since then that keeping up has been difficult. even as the group says it’s become better able to handle the demand.
Voyageurs Canada World Cup Switzerland Ismaël Koné BC Place Toronto march Vancouver march Rob Notenboom allez les Rouges
Sea of red sounds kinda awesome tho.
Notenboom sounds proud but like… 3,000 copies of his number? Isn’t that a little weird like why not just a poster? Also smoke canisters?? hope nobody gets hurt.
Koné got a broken leg and they’re doing number 8 printing like that’s gonna magically help them win vs Switzerland. I mean I respect it, but Switzerland’s defense is solid, so idk. Marches don’t change tackles lol
Every time I see “allez les Rouges” I think they’re calling it a French thing for no reason? Like I’m from the US and I swear half of this is just people yelling. Still, the idea of showing Koné 8 is sweet. Also assembling at 9:30am… who starts that early on a World Cup week, yikes. Smoke + drumming + flags is gonna be wild, hope the stadium security can handle it.