As the Ghana national team bus pulled up to their hotel in Toronto this week ahead of their World Cup opener against Panama on Wednesday, they were greeted by a sea of red, yellow and green.
It is the first time the country has ever played on Canadian soil, and a special moment for Ghanaians in the city.
Among those eagerly anticipating Wednesday's kickoff at Toronto Stadium is Forge FC attacker Nana Ampomah. The 30-year-old from Tema, Ghana, has spent the past two seasons playing in the Canadian Premier League for Forge, winning two CPL Shields. He will be there in person on Wednesday.
"It doesn't happen that often to see your country play in [a different] country where you are living," said Ampomah to CPLSoccer.com. "So going to the stadium... I can't wait."
Ampomah has four caps for Ghana, making his debut in a 1-1 draw with Egypt during World Cup qualifying in 2017 at Cape Coast Stadium in his native country.
He started the match, which was a "dream come true", even if he had to be removed in the 41st minute due to an injury.
A year later, Ampomah helped Ghana qualify for the 2019 African Cup of Nations during a 2-0 win over Ethiopia in Addis Ababa — which he calls the highlight of his national team career.
"I was very happy to represent my motherland," said Ampomah. "Very, very proud about being part of the national team."
During his time with the Black Stars, Ampomah called multiple members of this current Ghana World Cup squad teammates, including captain Jordan Ayew. Ampomah is excited to see what this group can do, even if they are in an incredibly difficult Group L.
"We have to qualify [for the next round]," said Ampomah. "I think the likes of Panama, I think Ghana should be able to beat them, and I know it's going to happen.
"We'll see what happens against Croatia and England. Croatia knows how to play these types of tournaments, so I'm a little bit scared when it comes to Croatia and England, but football, you never know what can happen."
What Ampomah is hoping is that this tournament will ignite Canada's passion for the sport to new heights.
"Seeing the World Cup in Canada, it's one of the best things to happen to a country," said Ampomah.
He was impressed with the scenes at Toronto Stadium from the opening match between Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which ended in a 1-1 draw after Cyle Larin's late goal — securing Canada's first point at a men's World Cup.
"Canada performed very well," said Ampomah, "watching that game, which should have been a win, I saw fans around cheering for their team, and it was really nice to know that people around the world, and also in Canada, are really enjoying the events," said Ampomah.
"I hope it goes well for the nation, and also I hope Canada gets far in this tournament, because if they go far, it helps the country, and it also helps the CPL. I'm very excited to see what happens after."
