Former NFL star helps viral German FIFA World Cup fan attend Toronto match

Toronto has welcomed plenty of celebrity guests during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but perhaps no visitor to the city has captured the internet quite like this fan.

The anonymous German soccer fan, Freddy, has taken the internet by storm over the past week for documenting his experiences with American culture, such as trying ranch dressing, Texas BBQ, and even visiting Walmart.

But getting to Toronto turned out to be Freddy's toughest experience yet.

After Germany's opening match in Houston, Freddy wrote on social media that his flight to Buffalo, N.Y., had been cancelled due to weather. He said that he'd likely miss Germany's match against the Ivory Coast in Toronto because his rebooked flight would arrive after the opening whistle.

Our connecting flight from Dallas to Canada has been canceled due to weather. They rebooked us on a flight tomorrow evening.
We‘re gonna miss the Germany match💔

— Freddy🇩🇪 (@FreddyLA7) June 19, 2026

Freddy's social media post went viral, prompting several airlines to extend a helping hand, including Air Canada.

"Hi Freddy, let’s get you to Toronto. Can you send us a DM?" the airline replied on X.

In the end, Freddy accepted help from former NFL star JJ Watt, who arranged for him to fly from Dallas to Buffalo late Friday night on American Airlines.

"American Airlines was incredibly helpful and made it possible for us to get on this flight. A special thank you to @JJWatt for organizing it while we were in the air to Dallas. Big thanks as well to everyone else who offered their help," Freddy posted.

Freddy's post about potentially missing the match went viral on X, garnering 15 million views, 80,000 likes, and nearly 5,000 replies.

Despite his newfound fame, Freddy has kept his identity a secret. He hides his face behind a graphic of Cristiano Ronaldo's face and does not share details.

Americans have fully embraced the German fan, with even a U.S. tourism official reportedly having offered him a tour of the White House.

Now, if only we could force him to try poutine or ice skating. 

Freddy arrived at Toronto Stadium on Saturday afternoon with plenty of time to spare. He shared a picture from his seat, saying that he made it, safe and sound.

WE MADE IT!!! Germany vs Ivory Coast 🇩🇪🇨🇮

Our second game of the World Cup, and the strongest opponent in our group stage awaits us. This should be a great match! pic.twitter.com/lFWfMvk5Ux

— Freddy🇩🇪 (@FreddyLA7) June 20, 2026

Good thing he didn't miss it, because the group-stage match between the Ivory Coast and Germany came down to the wire. 

The Ivorians opened the scoring, but couldn't hold off a strong German side that bounced back to secure three points with a 94th-minute winner from striker Deniz Undav, making the score 2-1 and clinching a Group E win.

Freddy and Germany will now head to New York to play their final group-stage match against Ecuador, while the Ivory Coast will head to Philadelphia, needing a win or draw over Curaçao to advance.