Thousands of Croatia supporters are expected to descend on Toronto this week ahead of the team’s World Cup match against Panama, with organizers planning to bring along a giant 100-metre flag for the occasion.
The Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce has announced that it will be hosting a series of events at the Toronto Event Centre located at 15 Saskatchewan Rd. leading up to and following the match, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Those events get underway at 8 p.m. on Monday with a ceremony to welcome supporters and unveil the 100-foot flag, which was carried by fans to Dallas Stadium ahead of Croatia’s match against England last week.
“Toronto is unique because this is not simply a host city,” Ivan Grbešić, a member of the board of directors of the Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce, said in a news release. “The Greater Toronto Area is home to the largest concentration of Croatians in North America. For many supporters, this feels less like an away match and more like a homecoming. We expect supporters from across Canada, the United States, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Australia and beyond to gather at Croatia House and show the world what it means to be Croatian.”
The Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce says that the giant flag “has become a symbol of Croatian unity and pride” and has been carried through the streets during a number of major tournaments, including the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The Toronto Event Centre will be temporarily rebranded as “Croatia House” on Tuesday and will be open to supporters beginning at 1 p.m.
The event is ticketed and already sold out, organizers say.
Fans will then begin their march to Toronto Stadium while carrying the flag at 5:30 p.m.
Organizers say that they expect thousands of supporters to attend the march, which will travel from Dufferin Gate to Toronto Stadium via Saskatchewan Road, Manitoba Drive and Nova Scotia Avenue.
Last week, an estimated 5,000 Panama supporters marched to Toronto Stadium ahead of the team’s match with Ghana.
An estimated 130,000 people of Croatian descent live in Canada, with many of them residing in the GTA.
