When the World Cup Came to Convocation

Thousands of soccer fans clad in red and white – many with blankets, chairs and friends in tow – descended on King’s College Circle in June to cheer on Canada during the FIFA World Cup.

A watch party centred around a giant outdoor screen took place alongside one of U of T’s spring convocation ceremonies, creating an unusual convergence of celebrations. Graduates and their families paused their photo-taking to catch a glimpse of the match, while current students joined friends on the lawn to soak in the atmosphere.

Nour Hanafi, who is completing her PhD in computational genomics, organized an outing for her labmates to build a sense of community. “It’s really fun investing in a team with other people and sharing the highs and lows,” she says.

The event was one of several World Cup watch parties hosted by the university during the tournament, which brought the world’s most popular sport to Toronto.

For many attendees, the appeal went beyond soccer itself. Alexandra Milia, a first-year Rotman Commerce student, compared the event to the Blue Jays World Series watch parties U of T hosted last year. “It’s nice to have something we can all come together around and build school spirit, regardless of what we’re studying,” she says.