The decision for German fans to visit Toronto for the 2026 World Cup turned out to be a glorious one, as they transformed the city’s waterfront area into a sea of black, red and gold.
To bring the moment to life on Saturday afternoon ahead of Germany’s match against Côte d’Ivoire, thousands participated in a march through downtown Toronto. Closing down major streets, the roughly two-kilometre beer-induced journey took over an hour to complete.
Leading the way was fan group Deutsche Kartoffeln auf die 1, who are travelling to all of Germany’s World Cup matches. However, not all members will be present for the games outside of Canada, noted one of the group’s leading members, Jan Beisheim.
“Even in my group of friends, very little people had interests in traveling to the U.S. … They specifically just came out for this game,” said Beisheim, who’s originally from Frankfurt.
Prior to the Toronto match on June 20, Germany first opened their tournament with a game in Houston. The team will finish the group stage with a visit to New York New Jersey Stadium.
For Nico Pokorny from Hamburg, he kept his reasoning simple for not making the journey to America: “I don’t want to go to the U.S. when there’s this clown as president.”
Jonas Groothus of Hanover is also in attendance in Toronto. The German national previously completed a study abroad period at Niagara College with his friends, and they’re all making a return to Canada for the Saturday match.
Along with being back in a country they love, Groothus says “political reasons” (and the monetary aspect) influenced his decision to watch a match in Toronto rather than in the United States.
From what he called a “corruption” standpoint, he’s upset that FIFA president Gianni Infantino awarded U.S. President Donald Trump with the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize” in December 2025.
“It’s not how I want to celebrate football, so that’s why I prefer Canada to watch the game,” said Groothus.
His friend, Lennart Bockerlmann, also added that a big draw for the group was the “more relaxed” atmosphere in comparison to the U.S. Instead of being solely focused on the commercial value of the World Cup, he feels people in Toronto are here to “still enjoy the atmosphere.”
What’s on the schedule for Jonas Groothus and his friends after the game? “A very long night with plenty of beers,” he said, as they looked forward to partying in Toronto with their fellow Germans. (Bryan Meler/Yahoo Canada)
In terms of fan experience, Beisheim said the atmosphere in Houston was “disappointing” compared to Toronto. What makes the Canadian city unique, he said, is the fact that fans are able to walk to Toronto Stadium since it’s located on the waterfront amid the downtown core.
For their match in Houston, they had to call Uber rides to the stadium, since it sits roughly 11 kilometres outside of the city’s downtown core. The same will be the case when the Germans go to New York New Jersey Stadium.
For that reason, Toronto will be the only city that the Germans will be able to unite for such a march, Beisheim noted. It seems to be a unique aspect of the World Cup in Toronto, as we’ve seen streets taken over by Team Canada fans, Bosnians, Panamanians, and Ghanaians thus far, as they’ve all proudly marched to the stadium.
The German march will undoubtedly be an experience that will forever be remembered as part of Toronto’s hosting experience. Flags flew freely, and so did the beers as fans passed them to one another without a care in the world. Chants of “Super Deutschland” rang out, but also the “Humba Humba,” which echoed through Toronto’s streets.
The traditional folk chant consists of fans taking a knee in unison — for example, at multiple points and busy intersections on Queens Quay West Street. To build up the energy, a leader (often with a megaphone) repeated a series of chants, some bordering on gibberish. As the energy increased, the Germans ultimately reached a state of pandemonium, as they rose to their feet, allowing the party to reach a new flow state.
It was beautiful to witness as it set the tone for a stunning day of World Cup action. That started bright and early for some German fans, as they gathered at Amsterdam Brewhouse on Toronto’s waterfront as early as 11 a.m., getting ready for the march to kick off at 12:30 p.m. and the match at 4 p.m.
Beers were flowing in all forms, as Germans made the most of the beautiful spring day. With that state of mind, the total monetary costs of watching the World Cup in Toronto weren’t top of mind for many fans since there’s also one variable factor that will need to be figured out later, says Jurgen Abele of Munich.
“It depends on the amount of beer we’re going to drink,” said Abele with a laugh. “But I think it’s gonna be quite expensive. So don’t worry.”