Italy's Gianluca Mancini, left, and Bosnia's Ermedin Demirovic tussle during the World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)

By The Canadian Press

Cheers turn to sadness in Toronto’s Little Italy as Bosnia wins World Cup qualifier

Mar 31, 2026 | 12:51 PM

TORONTO —

Vito Valela was optimistic as he settled into a chair at Cafe Diplomatico in Toronto to watch Italy’s bid to secure a spot in the FIFA World Cup, in between bites of pizza and sips of red wine.

It’s been part of his decades-long ritual to bring family members and friends to the College Street restaurant whenever the Italian men’s soccer team plays an important match.

This time, he came with his son and a friend to watch Italy play against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Things were going well at first, with Italy ahead 1-0 at halftime.

But underdog Bosnia-Herzegovina scored an equalizer in the 79^th minute and then won the game 4-1 in a penalty shootout, shattering Italy’s dream of qualifying for the World Cup to face Canada in the country’s opening match.

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Valela said it was “very painful” to watch his favourite team lose.

“Sad for Italy, sad for Toronto, Canada, because there’s a very large Italian population here,” he said. “It would have been very exciting to have watched Canada and Italy play.”

As disappointment swept across Toronto’s Little Italy, celebration erupted in the stadium where the match was played in Zenica, Bosnia.

Among the jubilant Bosnian fans in the stands was Mirza Durak, a Mississauga, Ont., resident who described the atmosphere as “really wild.”

“It’s unbelievable. My heart is full, the country is going crazy,” he said in a phone interview from Zenica. “It was amazing to play against Italy, who has huge history in soccer … this is (an) unbelievable feeling for us.”

Durak said he and two of his friends were on a nine-day trip from Canada to watch their home country’s team take on Wales and Italy in the playoffs.

“We brought them luck, I guess,” he said.

He said the stadium went silent when Italy scored the first goal. “But when we scored, it was wild,” he said. “It was amazing, and we believed that we could win, and we did.”

Durak said he was making his way to downtown Sarajevo, Bosnia’s capital city, where thousands of fans are expected to celebrate the win.

Bosnia’s only other World Cup appearance was in 2014, where it was eliminated in the group stage. The country has now joined Canada, Qatar and Switzerland in Group B at this year’s tournament, and will face Canada in Toronto on June 12.

Durak said he has made arrangements to get tickets for that game.

“I would be glad if either of them win, but I’m pretty sure my heart will be with Bosnia,” he said.

Valela said he had four World Cup tickets, including for Canada’s opening game against Bosnia. With Italy now out of the picture, he will cheer for Canada.

“It’s a great time to be in Toronto. How lucky can we be to be hosting part of the World Cup?” he said. “Who knows if it will come back, and for me it’s just a thrill, and I want to be part of it.”

His son Chris Valela said while he was heartbroken to watch Italy lose the game, he too is looking forward to cheering for Canada.

“I’m a fan of the game, I’m a fan of sport, and I’m fortunate enough that Canada is going to be one of those games and I’ll get to see that. That’s going to (be) amazing,” he said.

“But (I’m) just sad that we lost the opportunity to watch two countries I care about in the city I grew up in.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2026.

Sharif Hassan, The Canadian Press