TORONTO — Exhilarated fans of Germany and Ivory Coast heaped praise on their teams — and each other's — 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.
Claude Akette, who came from Burlington, Ont., with her children to support Ivory Coast, called it a "very good game, very tough game" for both countries, one that showed her team came to the tournament to fight.
“Germany played well and they deserved the victory, but we didn't play bad. We were good,” Akette said as she and thousands of other soccer fans poured out of BMO Field, temporarily renamed Toronto Stadium for the World Cup.
"We have a great team, a very great team, great players, so we're here to show to the rest of the world that Ivorians (are) never discouraged."
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.
The game was "fantastic, especially the end," Thomas Ringler said as his son nodded in agreement.
"You know, it's not how you start, it's how you finish," he said, referencing Deniz Undav's two second-half goals that clinched Germany the victory.
Still, Ringler said, Ivory Coast played very well. “They gave us a hard time,” particularly left-winger Yan Diomande, he said.
Darrell N’Guessan-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.
Despite the loss, he disagreed.
"That was one of the best games I've ever been to, wholeheartedly. I had the time of my life," he said. Yes, Cote d’Ivoire lost, but it was worth everything.”
Earlier Saturday afternoon, supporters of the four-time FIFA World Cup winner waved Germany’s 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.
Aurelie Kpakpo, a Toronto resident, said she came to the stadium to support Ivory Coast.
“Everything is amazing, there is so much fun going on in the city and it is just the best,” she said, wearing an Ivorian jersey with an Ivory Coast flag draped on her shoulder.
Kpakpo was joined by her mother and brother who came from France for the World Cup.
German fan Anna Kotman, who came from Germany for the World Cup, said it felt “awesome” to be at the stadium.
“Toronto is a great city, weather is great, people are great,” she said in an interview outside Toronto Stadium, putting on Germany’s white jersey.
Before the game, Toronto’s waterfront was a sea of black, red and yellow as rapturous German fans marched toward the stadium ahead of the tilt.
Flags bobbed atop a roaring sea of fans who chanted in unison to the team’s high-energy anthem, "Super Deutschland olé!"
Anja Duess wore a flower crown of Germany’s colours and a beaming smile as she prepared to set out on the march.
A German transplant who has lived in Toronto for more than 20 years, Duess said Saturday’s atmosphere was unlike anything she’d seen before.
“It’s just such an amazing experience. Soccer has really ignited some new passion in Toronto, and in Canada overall,” said Duess, who was set to take in the match from the fan festival.
Sun and mostly clear skies shone on an estimated 5,000 people who took part in the festive march, police estimated.
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.
“The atmosphere is very good but it’s too less beer,” said Alex Manek with a grin.
Dozens of Ivory Coast fans waited outside their favourite team's hotel in Toronto's downtown core before players boarded a bus to go to the stadium.
The Ivorians opened the tournament with a 1-0 win over Ecuador, while Germany routed Curaçao 7-1 in its first match.
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.
There had been uncertainty over his availability for Saturday's match because he is under investigation in France for alleged betting-related offences.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2026.
--with files from The Associated Press
Sharif Hassan and Maan Alhmidi, The Canadian Press
