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Iraqi and Senegalese soccer fans took over the streets of downtown Toronto Friday ahead of the final FIFA World Cup group-stage match being hosted by the city.
Fans packed Toronto Stadium to watch Senegal and Iraq face off Friday afternoon, with both teams clinging to faint hopes of reaching the knockout round. But the party started well before kick-off.
A cloud of green and red smoke hovered above hundreds of Iraqi fans as they marched to the stadium from Stanley Park on Friday morning. Senegalese fans started making their way to the game from Trinity Bellwoods Park at 1 p.m.
Senegal and Iraq get ready to face off in Toronto’s final group stage World Cup match on Friday. (Stephanie Scarbrough/Associated Press)
While Senegal has made some mistakes so far, fan Eli Emmanuel Manga is hopeful the team will prove all the doubters wrong today with a victory. He said Senegal is a young team full of talent and hungry for a win.
“We’re going to go as fast as a lion, just waiting for a meal to take home,” he told CBC Radio’s Metro Morning. “I think Senegal is prepared. They’re not just here to participate.”
If Senegal is hungry, then Iraq is ravenous for a win during their first World Cup appearance in 40 years, said fan Joseph Zayouna. He said it’s crazy to have his home country play in Toronto.
“Just to see Iraq play in Canada is unbelievable,” he said, adding he’s expecting thousands of Iraqi Canadians, and even some from overseas, to show up for the march.
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Toronto’s streets echoed with chants of “Iraq” and pounding drums as Iraq fans paraded through the city.
Fan Arkan Alobaidi said he travelled from Halifax with his kids and family members to celebrate the game. He’s hopeful that they’ll be able to watch World Cup history with an Iraqi victory.
“After 40 years, we are here now. We are so happy. I hope today for all the people [here] that we get a win,” he said.
Iraqi fans gathered at Stanley Park downtown to march to the stadium before Wednesday’s match. (CBC)
Sed Knori said it’s been amazing to celebrate his home country in the city he loves and now calls home.
“It’s surreal. It just shows you that we’re a melting pot. This is what Canada is all about,” he said, adding that Iraq’s team is playing with heart no matter what the results are.
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City officials have said Toronto has “truly welcomed the world” during the international soccer competition, and visitors have shared stories online highlighting the warmth, diversity and hospitality they experienced.
The last two weeks have also gone well for some local businesses.
Café Diplomatico, a popular destination for soccer watch parties, has seen an influx of customers during the World Cup even though two of the teams with the biggest local fan bases — Italy and Chile — didn’t qualify, said co-owner Rocco Mastrangelo.
He said he expects the restaurant will only get busier as the tournament advances to its final stages.
“Obviously if Canada goes far and Portugal goes far, it would be a lot better for us,” he said.
“But as the games get more important and the tournament gets more interesting … a sports fan is a sports fan: they’ll watch soccer.”
Destination Toronto said the World Cup has drawn a different mix of visitors to the city this month.
“Our modelling suggested that more than half of the ticket holders across Toronto’s six matches would come from international markets, and four matches in, the atmosphere in the city reflects that,” President and CEO Andrew Weir said in a statement.
Salar Abdul-Baki, who lives a short subway ride from the stadium, said his father travelled from Dubai so they could go to the World Cup together for the first time.
Toronto tends to come alive in the summer but it’s been “a whole other level” during the tournament, he said. “It is very, very special,” he added.
Toronto will also host one knockout stage game on July 2, with the matchup still to be determined.