Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal teammates greeted thousands of fans from the balcony of their downtown Toronto hotel after a thrilling 2-1 World Cup Round of 32 victory over Croatia on July 2, 2026. The 41-year-old superstar posted a video of the moment on X, captioned with a heart emoji, which quickly went viral.
Ronaldo’s goal sparks Portugal party
Ronaldo scored a second-half penalty to help secure Portugal’s win in front of 43,036 fans at Toronto Stadium. The crowd, a mix of passionate Portuguese and Croatian supporters, erupted and continued celebrating into the streets after the match.
“The game ended shortly after dusk in Toronto, but the night was just getting started,” wrote Rob Longley in the Toronto Sun. Ronaldo’s post on X, which has 110.6 million followers, showed him waving, clapping, and pumping his fist from the hotel balcony, sealing the display with a kiss.
Electric atmosphere at Toronto Stadium
The match was the sixth and final World Cup game held in Toronto. The stadium, normally BMO Field, was retrofitted with 17,000 temporary seats for the tournament. Portugal manager Roberto Martinez praised the venue: “It’s a shame that there are no more games here in Toronto because we really enjoyed it here. Everything around the beautiful facilities reminds me of the old-fashioned Premier League grounds.”
Martinez added, “It was a wonderfully supported game with two sets of fans … an incredible spectacle for football.”
What’s next for Portugal
Portugal advances to the Round of 16, where they will face Spain in Dallas, Texas, on July 6. The team may hold a training session at Centennial Park in Etobicoke before departing. Martinez noted that the FIFA-transformed facility provided ideal conditions: “The training sessions, the quality of the grass, everything was first rate.”
