Iraq had Toronto's best FIFA World Cup visiting fan march
If the FIFA World Cup crowned a champion based on fan passion, Iraq would be lifting the trophy.
On Friday afternoon, an estimated 10,000 Iraqi supporters packed Toronto streets for the official fan march ahead of Iraq's final Group I match against Senegal.
Fans began gathering around 11 a.m. at Stanley Park, near Tecumseth Street and Strachan Avenue, before marching toward Toronto Stadium at noon.
Just minutes after the march turned from King Street West onto Strachan Avenue, green, white, and red flares and smoke filled the air, with supporters banging drums and chanting for all of Liberty Village to hear.
An estimated 10,000+ Iraqi supporters marched from Stanley Park to Toronto Stadium. (Marley Dickinson/Offside)
Leading the way was a group of supporters carrying a large white banner that read: "We are with our lions wherever they roar."
Among the nine fan marches from visiting countries Toronto has hosted during the FIFA World Cup, Iraq's appeared to be one of the largest, even rivalling Germany's. But when it came to noise and energy, no country's fans have matched the passion displayed by the Iraqi supporters.
Toronto's Iraqi population isn't all that large. There are an estimated 23,000 people of Iraqi descent living across the Greater Toronto Area, but judging by the crowds on Friday, it felt as if the entire community had shown up.
The final FIFA World Cup group stage match at Toronto Stadium carries high stakes for both teams.
Neither Iraq nor Senegal won a game in Group I, which also includes Norway and France, but three points could be enough to send either nation into the knockout stage as one of the tournament's eight best third-place finishers.
Marley Dickinson/Offside
