In Toronto’s Little Italy, fans line up to swap jerseys and embrace Team Canada

By Canadian Press on April 4, 2026.

TORONTO — Fans lined a chilly street in Toronto’s Little Italy outside Café Diplomatico for Canada Soccer’s “Our Game Now” World Cup jersey swap.

The Canada jerseys ran out in under 30 minutes, with scarves, hats and posters also disappearing fast.

Canada Soccer announced the event after the Italian team lost a chance to quality for World Cup 2026, being hosted in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, after a surprising loss to Bosnia-Herzegovina earlier this week.

Father-and-son duo Amil and David Ivascu snagged the final jersey while keeping their Italian shirts.

Noah Brown, 13, swapped his Italy jersey for two Canada jerseys, grinning that he’d “probably support Canada” if the teams ever met in the future.

Longtime fan Raymond Chang, following soccer for 50 years, said he was thrilled to take part despite Italy missing the World Cup.

Paulo Senra, Canada Soccer’s chief communications and content officer, framed the event as a celebration of diversity, heritage and community passion.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 04, 2026.

Sandra Ezekwesili, The Canadian Press