WINNIPEG – The world comes to Winnipeg as Team U.S.A. plays Australia and Sweden plays Nigeria to get Group D action started in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Monday.
The games at Investors Group Field start with the Sweden-Nigeria match at 3 p.m., a warmup for what’s expected to be a strongly pro-U.S. crowd for the second-ranked team’s 6:30 game against No. 10-ranked Australia.
READ MORE: American fans in Winnipeg for FIFA Women’s World Cup
The border south of Winnipeg at Emerson, Man., had unusually long lineups Sunday evening as soccer fans poured north to watch their team. Hotel rooms as far away as Morden, Man., more than 100 kilometres south of Winnipeg, were booked in the leadup to the tournament.
Play started Saturday in Edmonton with two Group A matches, including Canada’s opening 1-0 win over China. Group B action got underway Sunday in Ottawa, and Group C play will also start Monday, in Vancouver. Groups E and F will begin play Tuesday in Montreal and Moncton.
READ MORE: Canada edges China on late Sinclair penalty in Women’s World Cup opener
Winnipeg Transit expects regular routes to and from the stadium at the University of Manitoba to be packed ahead of the game and advises fans to leave early. There will be extra buses on Route 160, which runs from downtown to the U of M. After the match, there will be Route 160 and 78 buses lined up on Chancellor Matheson and Routh 162 Fort Richmond and 170 Fort Richmond buses at their usual stop on University Crescent at Dafoe. Fares will not be charged on those buses.
There are also park and ride locations at McPhillips Station Casino, Club Regent Casino, Church of the Rock and the Victoria Inn Hotel. Transportation on school buses from these locations to the stadium will cost $5 for round-trip service.
There will also be shuttle buses available from some hotels.
READ MORE: FIFA parking plan for Winnipeg (pdf)
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