"For us, it's truly a special day. We're happy not with the result, but with the opportunity to see Portugal up close," Tony Fonseca, former Portuguese international and former technical director of the Canadian Soccer, told Lusa.

Living in Canada since 1999 and currently the director of football for the York Region Soccer Association (north of Toronto), an organisation that brings together around 42,000 registered athletes and 25 clubs, Fonseca considered that, despite the team's short stay in Toronto, the impact of the visit will be significant for Portuguese emigrants.

"It's a unique opportunity to see them play here in Toronto, in a community as large as the Portuguese one. It's truly fantastic for this community to see this team, full of talent and values, up close," he said.

The Portuguese national team returns to Toronto 31 years after their last appearance in the city.

Paulo Pereira, who accompanied the Portuguese team in Houston for the matches against the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uzbekistan, and in Miami for the match against Colombia, believes that the atmosphere in Canada will be different from that of the group stage.

"Portugal plays here in Canada surrounded by fans. In Houston and Miami there were many supporters of Cristiano Ronaldo, but they weren't necessarily Portuguese or the fans who usually follow the national team," he stressed to Lusa.

According to Paulo Pereira, the expectation among Portuguese residents in Toronto has been growing since the match against Croatia, in the Round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup, scheduled for Thursday, was confirmed.

"There are many Portuguese people whose dream is to see the national team live. Not everyone has the opportunity to go to Europe, and having Portugal here is an honour and a privilege. The entire community is already looking for tickets and thrilled with this opportunity," said the association leader.

The Portuguese-Canadian, however, lamented the prices charged in the secondary ticket market.

"There are tickets at absurd prices. Unfortunately, many true fans will not be able to get into the stadium," he said.

Portuguese in Canada

According to the 2021 census by Canada's national statistics agency, approximately 448,000 people declared Portuguese origin in the country.

The largest concentration is in Ontario, with approximately 289,000 residents of Portuguese descent, of whom about 171,000 live in the Toronto metropolitan area (Census Metropolitan Area), home to one of the largest Portuguese communities in the diaspora.