In Toronto, thousands of Bosnian fans dyed the city blue as they chanted “Free Palestine.”
TORONTO, Canada — Bosnia and Herzegovina supporter Nadia, who goes by a different last name, stood out in a navy blue shirt as throngs of Canadian fans in red decorations crowded around her outside Toronto Stadium an hour before kickoff for the opening game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
With the blue and yellow Bosnian flag draped around her, she found herself among a handful of “away” fans on Canadian soil on Thursday, less than two weeks after her team received a rousing welcome to the World Cup co-hosts.
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Nadia, an immigrant, recalled coming to Canada in the mid-1990s with her family fleeing the Bosnian genocide that killed about 100,000 people and displaced more than 2 million.
“If I had room for two hearts, I would have been able to properly support both countries,” Nadia told Al Jazeera when asked about her loyalty as the crowd cheered from the stadium behind her.
Nadia admitted that her heart ultimately lies in Bosnia, but the Canadian cap she wore paid homage to the country that became her home when she had to flee.
Earlier in the day, thousands of Bosnian supporters turned Toronto into a sea of blue as they marched to the match venue in the city’s downtown, chanting “Liberate Palestine” to thunderous applause.
“They (Palestinians) should be free. We’ve had enough of wars and massacres,” Nadia said with tears in her eyes. She took a deep breath and then added: “Children in particular are suffering a lot.”
Cultures come together in Toronto
Dan, a Bosnian supporter in his 40s, was the same age as his elementary school-aged son when he fled his country’s genocide.
The father-son duo enjoyed the match and soaked up the atmosphere of the over 45,000 fans at the stadium, before heading home a little upset by the draw.
The day Canada opened its first World Cup was a day when Bosnian immigrant fans’ identities merged, as they exchanged high-fives and swapped jersey numbers for their opponents’ numbers.
With all skin colors and a wide variety of native languages, the stadium and nearby fan festival epitomize Toronto’s reputation as a multicultural hotspot.
The fan festival brought together all kinds of soccer enthusiasts. There are die-hard supporters who have expert analysis and are full of insults when opportunities are missed, and supporters who attend purely to enjoy the atmosphere.
Soccer aside, some Canadian fans disliked their southern neighbor’s immigration policies. They were proud to be known for their hospitality at tournaments involving 48 North American countries.
Admir, a traveling Bosnian fan, raved about Canadian hospitality when he arrived from New Jersey.
“Everyone has been so kind to us since we’ve been here, from the general public to the stadium support staff to the restaurant owners,” he told Al Jazeera before kick-off.
His journey to Canada was smooth compared to the litany of immigration nightmare stories of World Cup supporters attempting to enter the United States.
Despite his country hosting eight World Cup matches, Admir chose to pay an exorbitant ticket price to watch Bosnia return to the World Cup for the first time in 12 years after a fairytale qualification.
After the game, most fans were exhausted by the sun, but not Tanya, who drove seven hours from New York to Toronto on Thursday morning.
“The atmosphere at the fan festival was great. Toronto was awesome.”
“I thought our guys played pretty well,” she said of the game. “I didn’t win, but I didn’t lose either.”
