TORONTO — Thousands of Croatian fans descended on Toronto on June 23, making the city their own as they launched into match-day traditions ahead of a World Cup clash against Panama. Red and white smoke canisters filled the air, Croatian chants were broadcast with force, and of course, the iconic 100-metre long checkered flag was unveiled — this time down Saskatchewan Street on the way to Toronto Stadium.
“My heart’s beating so fast, I can’t even describe it,” said Anita Jurisic. “Only Croatia can do this to their people. This is unbelievable.”
Jurisic made the trip from Chicago, while noting she also has family from Austria and Bosnia and Herzegovina who made the journey to Toronto to support Croatia. Of the first three group stage matches, with two taking place in U.S. cities of Dallas and Philadelphia, she says that Toronto is undoubtedly “the place to be.”
Ontario is home to over 100,000 people of Croatian descent, the largest Croatian population in Canada. As a second-generation Canadian, I’m one of those Croats, who took in the opportunity to connect with his culture through the match day atmosphere, and the game itself.
Croatia ultimately pulled out a tough 1-0 win versus Panama. Even though I was in the stadium, living out the (family-held) dream of watching Hrvatska in a World Cup game, I couldn’t help but hear my dad yelling at the TV back in my childhood home.
When Josip Stanišić made a beautiful run on the right side of the pitch, I could hear him yelling “hajde, hajde” (meaning “let’s go” in Croatian) — until it culminated in a loud “Goal” celebration, as Ante Budimir found the back of the net.
I could hear the loud “tako!” (meaning “that’s it”) when Dominik Livaković made beautiful save after save. But I could also hear the string of expletives coming from my dad’s mouth, which were now being shared by fans in the crowd, as Croatia made some head-scratching mistakes.
As a journalist, I’m supposed to be impartial. But it was hard not to root for Croatia on Tuesday night, especially when feeling the pulse of a sold-out stadium, as the 43,036 seats were mainly filled by Croats. That energy is exactly what head coach Zlatko Dalic credits for the result, as Croatia was faced with a must-win situation in Group L.
“For us, this is a big deal, we know how many of our people are in Canada, and how much this game meant for them, how much this win meant for them,” said Dalic in Croatian to Yahoo Canada.
“Today was a special game in Toronto, and it showed how important that synergy, that togetherness was with the fans. They carried us especially in those last 15, 20 minutes when we needed them, and that meant a lot to us. Thank you, Canada, thank you Toronto for the support.”
Antonio Smodlaka from Dugopolje, Croatia, was one of those supporters in the crowd. He wasn’t originally planning on coming to Toronto for the World Cup, but after catching FIFA fever during his team’s first game in Dallas, Texas, he had a change of heart.
“I knew that there was a huge Croatian community here, so I changed my plans, came here, and don’t regret it,” said Smodlaka. “The atmosphere is great.”
In what started as a solo trip, Smodlaka ultimately made Croatian friends during a visit to Niagara Falls in between matches. He says that “Croatians love to connect with each other, especially when it comes to football games.”
What stood out to him about Toronto, compared to Dallas, was the city-wide atmosphere surrounding the game. In Texas, he felt the action was only happening around the arena, which sits about 32 kilometres away from the downtown core. Instead in Toronto, he sees fans everywhere.
Toronto’s downtown waterfront stadium has been one of the surprises of the tournament, helping create an intimate atmosphere. With the strong Croatian fan base, a pre-match party was organized right down the street from Toronto Stadium; but with limited capacity, fans largely spilled over into Centennial Park.
Chants of “U boj, u boj, za narod svoj!” (meaning “To battle, to battle, for our people!”) rung out through Toronto. (Bryan Meler/Yahoo Canada)
Dave Ancic was one of many watching the shenanigans of Croatian fans with his two sons, Gabriel and Tristan. The three men are from Toronto, but their family and ancestry is from Rismanica, Croatia. When they heard the news of Croatia playing in Toronto, Dave Ancic immediately jumped at the opportunity to buy tickets for a “pretty penny.”
As a family, it’s an opportunity to witness one of the great teams of the last decade, as their star-talent seems to be on their last leg. That includes a roster led by 40-year-old Luka Modrić, who with a 2018 Ballon d’Or to his name, is the greatest player to make an appearance in Toronto during this World Cup’s group stage.
“I’ve never had a chance in my lifetime to see anything like this,” Dave Ancic said.
In terms of what the Croatian atmosphere and hosting the World Cup can do for Toronto, Tristan Ancic looks toward the future.
“It’s exciting that we have something like this in Canada. We’re not really known for being the biggest country for soccer, but maybe we can change that now.”
If the 2026 World Cup has the impact we all hope for, it’s easy to envision more kids growing up in the same type of environment I did, where one’s national team will create a lifetime of memories.