Buoyed by huge fan base at Toronto ‘home game,’ Croatia ends Panama’s World Cup bid

TORONTO — A sea of red-and-white checkered jerseys filled Toronto Stadium on Tuesday as Croatia fans turned out in full force to see their team end Panama’s World Cup hopes with a 1-0 victory.

The stadium crowd and fans at Toronto’s flagship FIFA Fan Festival erupted when Croatia’s Ante Budimir scored the first and only goal of the match in the 54th minute. By the end of the game, Panama fans were crestfallen as the score meant their team would not move on to the knockout round.

For soccer fan Anita Budimir, Croatia’s goal was extra special.

“Budimir scored, so I mean, shout out,” she said at the fan fest grounds. “We’re not related at all but … we have the same name so that’s pretty sick.”

Croatia’s fandom appeared to outnumber Panama’s as thousands of supporters marched toward Toronto Stadium before kickoff, whistling and waving cardboard cut-outs of their soccer heroes’ faces while the acrid smell of red smoke canisters filled the air. A contingent of fans carried a 100-metre flag that has become a centrepiece of Croatia supporters’ celebrations.

The Ontario government says more than 100,000 people of Croatian descent live in the province, which it says is the largest Croatian population in Canada.

Others came from far and wide, including Sanja Shaback, who arrived from Vancouver to strike seeing Croatian superstar Luka Modric off her bucket list.

“There’s more Croatians at this game than there were Canadians at the Canadian game in Vancouver,” she said. “This is definitely a home game for Croatia.”

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic also attended the game, sharing a box with FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Panama fans knew they faced a very tough opponent, but said they were still disappointed to see their team drop out of contention.

“During the game we felt like, OK, we can maybe win the game but at the end … we couldn’t score. They scored and that’s how it works,” Adrian Espil, who travelled to Toronto from Panama, said outside the stadium.

Panama had also lost its match against Ghana in Toronto last week.

Amy Pinzon said she was biting her nails “the whole time” during Tuesday’s match, but her hopes for Panama were dashed.

“I thought we were gonna score,” she said at the fan festival. “But at least we made it to the World Cup … it was very worth it for me tonight.”

Croatia remains in contention for the knockout round ahead of its final group-stage match against Ghana on Saturday.

Before Tuesday’s game, Elena Dejanovic described the atmosphere among Croatia supporters in Toronto as “ludilo,” the Croatian word for madness.

“This is perfect,” she said, surrounded by family members who came from Croatia and Switzerland.

Dejanovic said the World Cup has been “a come together moment” for Toronto.

“Everybody’s like all for one, one for all,” she said. “It doesn’t matter who you are … it’s a nice feeling.”

Panama fan Armando Acosta, who had been planning the World Cup trip with his father for months, agreed.

“It feels like everybody is family in the stadium,” he said. “It’s really great.”

Before the match, another man who arrived from Panama said that no matter the outcome, the country’s team will always have the support of its fans.

“Panama is a small country with a big heart,” said Johau Lewis. “And we come with faith.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2026.

–With files from The Associated Press

Elissa Mendes and Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press