Updated: 2026-06-19｜Real-time information is subject to official announcements
A free public World Cup watch party in downtown Toronto was called off early on the evening of Tuesday, June 16, 2026. The venue was not a stadium but Nathan Phillips Square in front of City Hall—that evening, thousands of fans gathered there to watch the Argentina vs. Algeria Group J match on a giant screen.
The trouble broke out in the second half. Multiple Canadian outlets (NanaimoNewsNOW, blogTO, Castanet, and others) reported that shortly after Messi (Lionel Messi) scored his third goal of the game, putting Argentina up 3–0, someone in the crowd set off fireworks and flares into the air, and firecrackers were even detonated. Out of public safety concerns, the City of Toronto shut off the big screen on the spot and ended the watch party early.
The City of Toronto confirmed that on-site staff at the square made the decision to halt the event. Sharon Bollenbach, the City’s executive director in charge of World Cup affairs, said that wrapping up early “is a letdown for fans,” but that at its own events the City puts the safety of the public, staff, and volunteers first. My own observation is that the biggest difference between these open-air free viewing zones and an official stadium is that Nathan Phillips Square has no entry security screening, which means there is no way to stop people from sneaking in fireworks and firecrackers—and that was the key to this getting out of hand. It is worth adding that flares and fireworks are already explicitly prohibited items at Toronto’s FIFA Fan Festival and at the stadium.
This is not the first time a Toronto World Cup event has been forced to a halt. Earlier, on June 11 (the day the tournament opened), the flagship Fan Festival at Fort York was also evacuated at one point due to the risk of lightning. The day after that incident, Toronto police issued a notice reiterating that setting off fireworks is prohibited at FIFA-related celebrations in the downtown core.
The public reports so far make no mention of any injuries. The match itself proceeded normally at the stadium; this episode took place at the watch party site and has no bearing on the result of the official fixture; any schedules and scores still defer to FIFA’s official channels. If you are planning to watch the games at official viewing spots in cities across Canada, we recommend confirming that venue’s security screening and prohibited-items rules before you set out, and you can also refer to our site’s complete roundup of viewing locations across Canadian cities. Should there be any further official clarification, defer to the announcements from the City of Toronto and the local authorities.
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