Senegal fans celebrate major win in Toronto’s last World Cup group stage match

TORONTO – Senegal fans celebrated their team’s 5-0 victory over Iraq –and renewed hope of moving forward in the World Cup – in Toronto’s last group stage match on Friday, capping off the first half of a tournament that local officials say has brought out the city’s charms.

It was a full house at Toronto Stadium as both teams clung to faint hopes of reaching the knockout round. Senegal’s five goals mean the team is on the verge of progressing to the round of 32. 

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.

“You just see the camaraderie really come out and, you know, community to community, everybody’s just so excited that the World Cup is happening,” he said.

Abdul-Baki said he’s particularly enjoyed seeing Toronto’s diverse communities rally behind different teams.

Mamadou Ba, who drove 12 hours from Quebec City with his brothers to support Senegal at Friday’s game, said they were enjoying the atmosphere in the city.

“Only sport can gather all these people,” he said. “There are people from Senegal, people from Nigeria, people from Iran, people from everywhere in the world are here only for one game, so it’s really something nice and wonderful and we appreciate it.”

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.

Toronto police, meanwhile, have said security and safety have been overall satisfactory given the sheer number of people visiting the city during the tournament. 

They say 20 people, including four foreign visitors, have been arrested in incidents related to World Cup events, and another 17 people have been charged under Canadian Aviation Regulations for flying a drone near World Cup events in the city since June 10. 

The last two weeks have also gone well for some local businesses.

Cafe 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.

“I find it that it’s definitely helping business, like it would if it was Copa America and Euro Cup in ’24,” he said, adding it’s hard to say how many of those who pack into the restaurant to watch games throughout the day are tourists.

Mastrangelo 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. 

Toronto will also host one knockout stage game on July 2, with the matchup still to be determined.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2026.