Social media’s scaly sensation has attracted soccer fans eager to see its latest FIFA prediction
TORONTO — A goldfish in downtown Toronto is making a splash during the FIFA World Cup, attracting soccer fans eager to see which country it will pick to win the tournament.
Known as Swimbappe, a play on the name of French soccer star Kylian Mbappé, the fish has become the star of Wellington and John streets by predicting match outcomes and tournament winners from a fish tank renovated into an underwater soccer field.
The fish’s forecasting record has been respectable. Throughout the tournament’s opening week, Swimbappe had correctly predicted half the outcomes (10 of 20 matches) including victories by Germany, France and Argentina. Several of its misses technically came in matches that ended in draws after the fish selected a winner.
On Wednesday morning, TorontoToday caught up with a small stream of curious soccer fans who stopped by to see the Swimbappe installation at 225 Wellington St. W.
Among them were German tourists Alex and Marcus, who said they walked over from their nearby accommodations after spotting Swimbappe on social media earlier that morning.
The pair are in Toronto for the FIFA World Cup and said Swimbappe became an unexpected addition to a day filled with tournament-related activities.
“It is fun,” Alex said. “You (see) things like this at big sporting events. It brings people together.”
The fish’s growing popularity comes as Toronto embraces its role as one of the host cities for the FIFA World Cup, with fan events, viewing parties and soccer-themed attractions drawing visitors from around the world.
Swimbappe joins a tradition of animal prognosticators that have captured public attention during major sporting events, such as Paul the Octopus, which correctly predicted a string of results at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Oberhausen, Germany.
Whether Swimbappe’s latest round of predictions proves accurate remains to be seen. But for FIFA fans stopping by the tank, the appeal has less to do with forecasting results and more so taking part in a light-hearted World Cup moment in the heart of the city.
As Alex and Marus prepared to continue their day of soccer festivities, the two said they would be keeping an eye on the fish’s picks.
“If it is (right)” Alex laughed, “perhaps we will come back for (the) next prediction.”