Croatia House to Serve as Official Gathering Place for Supporters in Toronto, North America’s Largest Croatian Community, Ahead of Croatia vs. Panama Match
100-Meter Red-and-White Checkered Flag To Be Unveiled at Dufferin Gate
TORONTO, ONTARIO — After thousands of Croatian supporters transformed downtown Dallas into a sea of red-and-white checkers during the opening week of FIFA World Cup 2026, the Croatian diaspora now turns its attention to Toronto, where Croatia House will serve as the official gathering place for supporters ahead of Croatia’s match against Panama on June 23, 2026.
Located at the Toronto Event Centre (15 Saskatchewan Road), just steps from Toronto Stadium, Croatia House will host supporters before and after the match, creating a central hub for Croatian fans arriving from across Canada, the United States, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Australia and beyond.
Organized by the Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Croatia House will feature a series of supporter activations and celebrations designed to bring together Croatians from around the world.
“Toronto is unique because this is not simply a host city,” said Ivan Grbešić, a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce. “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. Coach Zlatko Dalić emphasized that he is extremely pleased that the team will play in Toronto, where he expects a full stadium and great support from Croatian fans — and that is what we expect to give him.”
What began in Dallas now moves to Toronto, where the Croatian diaspora is expected to produce one of the largest gatherings of Croatian supporters during FIFA World Cup 2026.
The atmosphere in Toronto follows a remarkable showing by Croatian supporters in Dallas, where thousands marched through the city’s streets, gathered beneath giant Croatian flags and demonstrated the passion that has made Croatian supporters among the most recognizable fan bases in international football. Organizers expect that same energy to arrive in Toronto.
On match day, Croatia House will open to supporters beginning at 1:00 p.m., creating a central gathering place for Croatian fans from around the world. Throughout the afternoon, supporters will participate in fan activations, cultural programming, music, food, face painting and community celebrations before gathering at Dufferin Gate at 5:00 p.m. for the unveiling of the iconic Croatian flag.
Supporters will gather for the “Mi Hrvati” (Croatian Fans Embassy) 100-meter flag unveiling, one of the signature supporter activations of Croatia’s World Cup campaign. The giant Croatian flag, owned by Dado Čor and Croatian Soccer Fans from Crikvenica and Bribir, has become a symbol of Croatian unity and pride. The flag has traveled to major international football competitions, including the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. During FIFA World Cup 2026, it drew international attention during appearances in New York City and Dallas before arriving in Toronto.
At 5:30 p.m., thousands of Croatian supporters are expected to make their way together from Dufferin Gate to Toronto Stadium via Saskatchewan Road, Manitoba Drive and Nova Scotia Avenue in a show of Croatian solidarity ahead of kickoff.
The route to Toronto Stadium will be transformed into a sea of red-and-white checkers as thousands of Croatian supporters make their way to the match.
With Croatia House located just steps from Toronto Stadium, supporters will return immediately following the match for post-game celebrations and programming.
“The Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce is proud to create a place where Croatians and friends of our community can come together during this historic World Cup,” said Wanita Kelava, Manager of the Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce. “Croatia House will be more than a meeting place. It will be a celebration of our culture, our heritage and our unwavering support for the Vatreni. We witnessed something special in Dallas when thousands of Croatian supporters came together to support Croatia. Now that energy comes to Toronto.”
The Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce has been working together with Mi Hrvati in coordinating matters relating to the unveiling of the Croatian flag, as well as with CroatianSports.com and Croatians Online in promoting the events being organized in Toronto in and around Croatia’s match against Panama.
Croatia enters the 2026 FIFA World Cup as one of the most successful football nations of the modern era, having reached the World Cup Final in 2018 and the semifinals in 2022. The national team’s success has helped unite Croatian communities around the world, making supporter gatherings a defining part of Croatia’s World Cup experience.
For supporters traveling to Toronto, Croatia House is expected to become the center of that experience.
Media outlets are invited to cover the festivities, including the arrival of international supporters, Croatian cultural programming, fan celebrations, the unveiling of the 100-meter Croatian flag, the supporter procession and the unique role Toronto’s Croatian community is playing during the FIFA World Cup.
EVENT INFORMATION
CROATIA HOUSE
Toronto Event Centre
15 Saskatchewan Road
Toronto, Ontario M6K 3C3
(Located just steps from Toronto Stadium)
DUFFERIN GATE
14 Dufferin Street
Toronto, Ontario M6K 3C3
(Located just steps from Croatia House)
Monday, June 22, 2026
▪ 8:00 PM (Croatia House) – Supporter Welcome Gathering
(Tickets Required)
Tuesday, June 23, 2026
▪ 1:00 PM (Croatia House) – Supporters Pre-Match Activations, Food, Music and Cultural Programming
(Tickets Required – Event Sold Out)
▪ 5:00 PM (Dufferin Gate) – Mi Hrvati 100m Flag Unveiling
▪ 5:30 PM (Dufferin Gate) – Supporter Walk to Toronto Stadium
(via Saskatchewan Road, Manitoba Drive and Nova Scotia Avenue)
▪ 7:00 PM (Toronto Stadium) – Match Kick-Off: Croatia vs. Panama
▪ 9:30 PM (Croatia House) – Post-Match Celebration
(Tickets Required)
MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES
- Interviews with leaders of the Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce, Mi Hrvati CFE, CroatianSports.com and Croatians Online, community leaders and members of Toronto’s Croatian community
- Interviews with Croatian supporters from around the world
- The unveiling of the 100-meter Croatian flag at Dufferin Gate, including a spectacular opportunity for aerial video recording with Toronto Stadium and the CN Tower in the background
- The supporter walk from Dufferin Gate to Toronto Stadium
- Pre-match and post-match fan celebrations
- Croatian cultural programming and entertainment
- Visuals of thousands of Croatian supporters gathering steps from Toronto Stadium
ABOUT THE CANADIAN-CROATIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Founded in 1995, the Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit network of Croatian-Canadian businesses, professionals and organizations that has emerged as the voice of Croatian-Canadian business in Canada. Canada has one of the largest and most successful Croatian communities outside of Croatia, and the Chamber brings together businesses, professionals and organizations with strategic relationships—economic, commercial, political and cultural—in both Canada and Croatia.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
MEDIA CONTACT
Branimir Kvartuč
Media Relations
CroatianSports.com
bk@branimir.LA
CHAMBER CONTACT
Ivan Grbešić, Director
Canadian-Croatian Chamber of Commerce
contactus@croat.ca
100% Stanojevic-Donika. We love what 2018 and 2022 brought to Croatia but I have always contended that Dalic wasn’t the “dream weaver” so many have made him. Yes, he deserves praise but he’s not a strong tactician and soccer whisperer, he never will be. We had so much talent , and some very good luck . He can’t deny luck is part of the game.
Fearing we are moving into a shaky hand Dalic “Whack-o-mole” mode, to addressing the teams’ problems, and overreacting with the lineup, when it is an execution failure based on focus, discipline, and tactics.
Go back to our standard back four, give Musa, and Marco 90 minutes, clean up the rest, done.
Please send Marko from “Croatian Sports” to give them guidance.
Don’t know where all these pronunciations of the new line up are coming from and if they are reliable sources.
Hmm… do we stand a chance against Spain if we face them in R16? (assuming we finish second in our group and manage to get past R32, big assumptions here I know)
We can easily hold them to 0-0 and beat them in PKs 😉
Sounds like a plan 😀
Stick Stanisic on Lamal (with support from a Moro, Jakic or Kova) and that shuts down their main threat – don’t let him get the ball
Did you get on board the Luka V choo choo train yet ?
As previewed first stop Brighton – final destination Barcelona
𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓: Luka Vušković’s camp want the move to Brighton and believes he can play for Barcelona in two to three years.
Tottenham are demanding more than £50M, while Brighton’s latest offer stands at £45M.
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@MichaelBridge_
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@LastWordOnSpurs
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I’m not sure if I remember correctly but after the 2018 World Cup, I was quite moved by Rakitic, Mandzukic, and few others who had retired.
They all said it was time to make room for the next generation and that Repka was more important than any one player.
I had such respect for those who stepped aside. No matter how much we love Luka and Ivan they have set us back from developing the next generation.
Now the damage is done, its to late and now there’s no going back. So, that being said we have to play Luka and Ivan no matter what.
Even though they should have retired from international play 2-4 years ago, Dalic is still the problem.
I love him as well but I can’t justify any of his tactics, formations, mismanagement of player’s positions on a regular basis or not being able to develop younger talent earlier.
Just the fact that he wont use Marco on the right side, is beyond frustrating.
Anyway, I’m sure most of us here, have the same thoughts. We all loved the idea of a 40 year old Modric winning the World Cup but thats quite unrealistic.
This team can’t touch the 98 or 18 squad so unless FIFA decides to give it the Messi fix, it’s not going to happen.
Except players aren’t developed in the vacuum of the NT. You have to be a pillar of your club to be considered to play for country, and there are few stronger pillars than Luka and Ivan. Soon after Baturina, Vušković, Sučić, etc became regular, trusted contributors at large clubs, they were inserted into the starting line up. I would count our blessings instead of criticizing our fortune.
Not mentioned the average age of our starting xi is younger than ’98 and 18′.
Yes
I was disappointed they retired. Still had lots to offer. After 2018, I get it, though. Everyone’s different.
Ideally, no player should “retire”.
If you still have gas left in the tank, then you should make yourself available for callups.
Rakitic and Mandzo could have easily given us another tournament, at least off the bench. For all we know, we probably could have made a run into the quarters or semis at Euro2020 with them on the team.
The ISSUE is the “seniority” that some players feel they have, and they won’t take a back seat to any younger or more talented players who they need to pass the torch to.
The coach needs to manage this transition, but Dalic is not the type of coach who can do this. He’s a player’s coach who uses consensus within the team to decide on formations and lineups. He has a deep loyalty to those who were on the 2018 team, and obviously, these guys (like Perisic, Krama, Modric) will always place themselves into the starting eleven.
Modric left before the 60th on Wednesday.
Portugal stuck with a struggling Ronaldo for the full 90. (Again.)
Ronaldo had some shit fit before for being substituted. Maybe last Euros, maybe last World Cup. I forget.
Luka is an over-the-top go-getter but also a team player, I would say. Perhaps he even had a say in his substitution Wednesday.
(Though the site of his face after they conceded v. Italy at the Euro while he was on the bench will be embedded in my brain forever.)
Good points from gbvh. 100% agree with that assessment of Modric.
Modric didn’t have his best game. That is fair. He is probably as disappointed as anyone. He is coming off an injury, and having missed the last part of the Serie A season, perhaps he lacks a little sharpness.
However, his continued play for the national team has not, in any way, hindered Baturina’s development this year at Como, Sucic’s development at Inter, or Vuskovic’s development at HSV. All three proved themselves at club, with Baturina coming on strong in the last half of the season. All three were rewarded by Dalic with the start against England, and all three gained incredibly valuable experience. Matanovic, who is about the same age as Baturina and Sucic, had a solid year for Freiburg, and also saw the field against England. Our youth are being integrated.
In the meantime, young players like Jagusic, Mlacic, and others took meaningful steps forward this past season.
Sometimes it is best to turn a question around and look at the other side: whose development was blunted? Whose place has been taken? With Luka Modric on the bench or in retirement, who would have or should have started up against Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and the English midfield?
Jagusic, who has great potential, is not yet a starter in the Greek League. It would have been a huge ask for Stojkovic coming out of the HNL. Majer was not playing very well this season for a low-table Bundesliga team. Luka Sucic finished with some promise, but was not a starter for much of the year at Real Sociedad and had a largely disappointing season. (Hoping he catches fire at this WC, but he has not earned the start).
Luka Modric, on the other hand, was one of the best midfielders in Serie A this year, a top 5 league. I saw about half their games, enough to see his level of quality play. One of the greatest to have ever played the game, and now past his prime, he is still far better than most.
In almost every game he was a pillar of strength for AC Milan this season, and anchored their midfield admirably.
The team struggled very noticeably when he was not playing. The AC Milan midfield lacked control, tempo, and leadership when he was out of lineup.
The statistical decline when he was out of the lineup was clear and measurable, and it was discussed in the Italian papers. When he missed five games due to injury as they battled for a birth in Champions League, they won only one.
He is still an excellent midfielder, the highest quality team leader, by all accounts he has a very deep knowledge of the game, and he is a winner. There are intangible benefits to his passing on his ways to our younger players.
The same basically goes for Perisic as well, who helped lead his team to top spot in the Netherlands this past season.
Perhaps better to have a little more optimism. This WC 2026 tournament has barely started, and future World Cups for the national team hold promise given the number of quality young Croatian players who are developing and progressing well.
Perisic won the last two Dutch league titles with PSV.
Re Jagusic, it still pains me to think that one of our brightest young talents had spent half a season mostly riding the pine in Greece… I’m still incredulous that he made the move to PAO, especially after how he did such a smart thing by choosing to remain at Slaven for the 2025–26 season.
@Bartolec1912,
Re Jagusic:
I agree with you that it is frustrating to see Jagusic’s development stalled in Greece after he went there this past season. It would be interesting to know more about went into that decision to go to PAO.
Anonymous, if memory serves, chalked Jagusic’s move to Greece as resulting from short-term thinking on the part of the agent. It might be as simple as that.
Vuskovic and his people sure made a good decision to push for Hamburg this past season. That was much better than languishing on the bench in the Premier League.
The guy that has really impressed with player development is Cesc Fabregas at Como. It is not just Baturina, but Smolcic too had a very good season there with Cesc, and seemed to develop very well. In fact, I was among those a little surprised Smolcic was not picked for the NT.
Como would have been the perfect spot for Jagusic. And perhaps even for players like Sutalo and Majer, as Como works to shore up a deeper roster for a season that involves Champions League. Most of us would be happy to see any Croatian player head to Como.
They say Cesc will one day take over at Barcelona. I don’t know if that is just a rumour. But if so, it would be great to have a couple of our players eventually join him there at a big club like that.
Another guy who might be a good coach for player development is is Francesco Farioli at Porto. Certainly, Sutalo had by far his best season playing for Farioli the 2024-25 season at Ajax. I agree Sutalo was not the same this past season, but that previous year the Ajax fans were full of praise for Sutalo, and he was considered one of the elite defenders — some even said perhaps the best — in the Eredivisie. Ajax should have won the league and had about a 10-point lead that year, and then they folded late in the season which was disappointing (but not disappointing for Perisic at Eindhoven). Farioli left because he said the team was not well run, that it was in turmoil . . . unfortunately Sutalo has been in the midst of that turmoil for three seasons, has not had the benefit of a regular coach, and it has been a revolving door on the field as well.
Prpic did not have a great deal of playing time at Porto last season playing for Farioli, but lets see what the next season brings.
Back to WC 2026!
Agree with all except it was a mistake to not take Majer. IMO he is our most creative offensive player when he plays in the midfield.
@TinU
Agree 100% with you’re assessment
But the issue with Modric on the NT and AC Milan is not that he’s taking a spot
The issue is with him on the field all the players defer to him (and can hide) as they think “Luka will solve this for us”
Croatia NT players have said over the years that with Modric on the field he makes everyone else 20% better
When Modric cane off vs England who took responsibility on the field?
Euros Italy Modric comes off and it all falls apart
They’ve all been conditioned to rely on and defer to Modric
Not going to get solved now – but the implication is we need to ride or die with Modric (at least for Panama)
Cabo Verde running and looking like they couldnt blow out a candle in the 95th minute. Sigh.
This is my fear. Belgium in trouble too, interesting to see. I know i’m a broken record but maybe we overestimated the importance of skill in this tourney? It’s a weird athletic/brute force type thing. I mean USA is going good lol.
Also, can i say, i know there’s been a lot of calls to bench Luka (Modric if i need to emphasise), but – and look – i said it’s the worst game ive ever seen him play – but it’s an outlier so far.
He’s actually been in great form otherwise, and he’s our captain, and he’s carried us – for anyone who hasn’t seen him talk to Liva in that doco FIFA has called “Captains” i really recommend it, it is totally amazing how he influenced the team and Liva to be better.
The point im making is he cant be dropped, he had a bad game, yes, that can happen – i dont understand it, i dont know why multiple of our players stood back and waited for the ball to come to them rather than going to the ball and let English players steal in, it happened several times in this match and brought my piss to a boil. But that all being said, i dont believe Luka can’t play any more or that he’s not a leader – i think he had a bad game. Let’s give him some grace, given everything he’s given us, and see how he goes in the next game or two, before we make drastic decisions like dropping the captain and hero of the team.
Modric is fine.
He’s been the best player in Serie A (playing 90 minutes every game) and now suddenly he’s too old for a tournament that has far less skill than the average Serie A team?
He’s allowed to have a bad game from time to time.
He shouldn’t ever be paired up with Mario Pasalic in the pivot (who is not a good defender) and he would have had less work if he had Sucic or Kova next to him.
The only concern for me right now is Dalic overreacting to the game.
There is nothing wrong with losing to England when your two best players have a bad game, and you refused to adjust the formation after the half. Dalic took a risk, England punished us for 10 straight minutes early in the second half, and we lost because of it.
But now we face Panama and Ghana who are completely different teams.
These reported lineup changes has him tinkering and messing around with in-form talented players, in a knee jerk reaction to his initial formation and lineup mistakes.
Four at the back makes sense, but scapegoating Vuskovic (for apparently not being able to play in a back four) while also proposing we play at least 2-3 others out of their ideal positions (Sucic, Pasalic, Gvardiol, etc.) is just an overreaction.
In Dalic we trust. 🤣
Good on you Toronto make it a home.game for us.Bog i Hrvati.
Toronto will shine as a host to the Vatreni. We have a 50 history of Croatian soccer and a community big enough to put this near the top of all diaspora events in this world cup. You will hear and see it. Samo nasi, neko drugo.
Our future next coach Marcelo Bielsa is going to explode at the break
Oh boy..
As highlighted in Anonymous’ forensic analysis (still in progress only 27 minutes thru) – Anonymous highlighted that they saw Stanisic told Liva to dive in the same direction – but Liva didn’t listen and went the other way – Stanisic was right
It’s a shame none of you MORONS also picked this up
Josip Stanišić on advising Livaković before the retaken penalty:
“Yes, I immediately told him that we had already had that situation this season (at Bayern), that Kane would shoot in the same direction. Of course, it was his decision.
If he had dived that way and Kane had shot the other way, it would have been my fault. The goalkeeper has a feeling that you have to trust.
Unfortunately, he saved the first one and not the second, but that’s how it went.”
“It’s a shame none of you MORONS also picked this up”. What a great way to celebrate Croatian unity.
Excellent. Thank You!