\u201cWe come in, and then we find out they\u2019re only showing certain games at FIFA fan zone, which makes no sense,\u201d said one fan who travelled to Toronto to take in the World Cup festivities. \u201cI\u2019ve been to Mexico, I\u2019ve been to Dallas, and all their fan zones appeared to show every game, so why would the FIFA fan zone (in Toronto) not show their own games? It doesn\u2019t make any sense at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Swedish and the Dutch fans, they\u2019ve come to watch their game, which is on right now, and it\u2019s not shown in here,\u201d said another fan zone attendee. \u201cAnd they\u2019re stuck now because once you\u2019ve entered the fan zone, you can leave, but then you can\u2019t get back in again later.\u201d<\/p>\n
CityNews reached out to the City of Toronto to ask why the Netherlands-Sweden match wasn\u2019t airing, and a few minutes after we sent our request, the game was available on the big screens throughout the fan zone. Officials say the games that are scheduled to air at the fan zone are available on their website. A quick check showed the Netherlands-Sweden game was not initially part of that schedule on Saturday, but was added afterwards.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/fifa-fan-fest-schedule-1024x401.jpg\")
Graphic showing the match between Netherlands vs Sweden added to the Toronto FIFA Fan Fest broadcast page after it was initially not scheduled to air on Saturday, June 20, 2026. CITYNEWS<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, exhilarated fans of Germany and Ivory Coast heaped praise on their teams \u2014 and each other\u2019s \u2014 as the third World Cup game hosted by Toronto ended with a dramatic, last-minute comeback that secured Germany its spot in the knockout phase.<\/p>\n
Claude Akette, who came from Burlington, Ont., with her children to support Ivory Coast, called it a \u201cvery good game, very tough game\u201d for both countries, one that showed her team came to the tournament to fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cGermany played well and they deserved the victory, but we didn\u2019t play bad. We were good,\u201d Akette said as she and thousands of other soccer fans poured out of BMO Field, temporarily renamed Toronto Stadium for the World Cup.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a great team, a very great team, great players, so we\u2019re here to show to the rest of the world that Ivorians (are) never discouraged.\u201d<\/p>\n
Father-and-son duo Thomas and Kieren Ringler bore wide grins as they made their way out. The pair came from Boston to see Germany compete and planned to head back to the United States on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The game was \u201cfantastic, especially the end,\u201d Thomas Ringler said as his son nodded in agreement.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, it\u2019s not how you start, it\u2019s how you finish,\u201d he said, referencing Deniz Undav\u2019s two second-half goals that clinched Germany the victory.<\/p>\n
Still, Ringler said, Ivory Coast played very well. \u201cThey gave us a hard time,\u201d particularly left-winger Yan Diomande, he said.<\/p>\n
Darrell N\u2019Guessan-Gbe, who travelled from Washington, D.C., to support Ivory Coast, said several people tried to discourage him from making the trek, telling him it would be a waste of money because his team would be facing Germany.<\/p>\n
Despite the loss, he disagreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was one of the best games I\u2019ve ever been to, wholeheartedly. I had the time of my life,\u201d he said. Yes, Cote d\u2019Ivoire lost, but it was worth everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier Saturday afternoon, supporters of the four-time FIFA World Cup winner waved Germany\u2019s flags on one side of Toronto Stadium, while Ivorians wearing orange jerseys danced and cheered on the other side. Long lines formed outside the gates ahead of the historic game.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aurelie Kpakpo, a Toronto resident, said she came to the stadium to support Ivory Coast.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything is amazing, there is so much fun going on in the city and it is just the best,\u201d she said, wearing an Ivorian jersey with an Ivory Coast flag draped on her shoulder.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kpakpo was joined by her mother and brother who came from France for the World Cup.<\/p>\n
German fan Anna Kotman, who came from Germany for the World Cup, said it felt \u201cawesome\u201d to be at the stadium.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cToronto is a great city, weather is great, people are great,\u201d she said in an interview outside Toronto Stadium, putting on Germany\u2019s white jersey.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before the game, Toronto\u2019s waterfront was a sea of black, red and yellow as rapturous German fans marched toward the stadium ahead of the tilt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Flags bobbed atop a roaring sea of fans who chanted in unison to the team\u2019s high-energy anthem, \u201cSuper Deutschland ol\u00e9!\u201d<\/p>\n
Anja Duess wore a flower crown of Germany\u2019s colours and a beaming smile as she prepared to set out on the march.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A German transplant who has lived in Toronto for more than 20 years, Duess said Saturday\u2019s atmosphere was unlike anything she\u2019d seen before.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just such an amazing experience. Soccer has really ignited some new passion in Toronto, and in Canada overall,\u201d said Duess, who was set to take in the match from the fan festival.<\/p>\n
Sun and mostly clear skies shone on an estimated 5,000 people who took part in the festive march, police estimated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A pair of fans from Cologne, Germany, carrying a replica World Cup trophy praised the Toronto hospitality and appeared only mildly let down by the interdiction against drinking on the street.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe atmosphere is very good but it\u2019s too less beer,\u201d said Alex Manek with a grin.<\/p>\n
Dozens of Ivory Coast fans waited outside their favourite team\u2019s hotel in Toronto\u2019s downtown core before players boarded a bus to go to the stadium.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Ivorians opened the tournament with a 1-0 win over Ecuador, while Germany routed Cura\u00e7ao 7-1 in its first match.<\/p>\n
Ivory Coast players arrived in Toronto with striker Elye Wahi after the 23-year-old was cleared to enter Canada, a boost for the team.<\/p>\n
There had been uncertainty over his availability for Saturday\u2019s match because he is under investigation in France for alleged betting-related offences.<\/p>\n
Files from Alessandra Carniero were used in this report<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/toronto-stadium-1024x576.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\tFans are shown making their way to Toronto Stadium on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Sammy Kogan <\/p>\n
\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n
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