Discover which international soccer icons and global superstars will take the pitch at Toronto Stadium (BMO Field) during the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage and the Round of 32. Luka Modric of Croatia will be in Toronto on June 23, playing against Panama.
Toronto's BMO Field: Which Global Stars Play in Canada?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is just days away from kicking off. If fans wondered whether they would see marquee soccer teams playing in their city, it’s clear there will be no shortage of stars calling Toronto their temporary home in the coming weeks. National team players like Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David have become household names in Canada, but international stars will share the spotlight later this month.
These players include: One of the best parts of the World Cup is seeing legendary players give it their all for their country for likely the final time. Though the 40-year-old Edin Dzeko is a step slower than his glory days winning the Premier League twice with Manchester City in 2012 and 2014, Bosnia’s all-time leading scorer is likely to captain the outfit when it takes the field on June 12 against Canada for the opening match of the tournament.
Luka Modric has helped lead his country to two legendary runs in the last two FIFA World Cups, taking the club all the way to the 2018 final and a third-place finish in 2022. The 2018 Ballon d’Or winner as the world’s best soccer player also is a joint-holder for most UEFA Champions League titles, having achieved six during his run with legendary Spanish team Real Madrid.
German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is a 2014 World Cup winner who has also won 13 Bundesliga titles.
Related Coverage
Confirmed Players Heading to Toronto's World Cup Matches
The lone goalkeeper on this list, Manuel Neuer is in rarefied air when it comes to the game’s goalie legends. Should Germany want to make a deep tournament run, Neuer’s play as the team’s No. 1 keeper could be pivotal to their chances.
The 2014 World Cup winner has also won 13 German Bundesliga titles, with his 124 appearances for his country a record among German keepers. The youngest player on this list, 26-year-old Antoine Semenyo is poised to be one of the international breakout stars of the tournament. A midseason transfer to Manchester City from fellow English club Bournemouth, he made an immediate impact, winning Premier League Player of the Month in his first full month with the club.
Having made just two second-half appearances off the bench in the 2022 tournament, Semenyo has the chance to put his name in Ghanian soccer history with a strong performance when they kick off in Toronto. Sadio Mané exploded into global soccer superstardom as a member of Liverpool, winning the Golden Boot as the league’s top scorer in 2018-19, before helping to deliver the club’s first English title since 1990 the following season when they won the Premier League. For his national side, he’s the outfit’s all-time leading goal-scorer, having slotted home 54 goals across international competition, though just one at two previous FIFA World Cup appearances.
If the team is looking to replicate its surprise run to the 2002 quarterfinal in their first-ever tournament berth, strong play from Mané could go a long way.
Which Group Stage Fixtures Feature at BMO Field?
While the stars listed above are on track to suit up in Toronto, the city will also host one knockout game, with the Round of 32 being played on July 2. Portugal, Uzbekistan, Colombia, DR Congo, against one of England, Croatia, Ghana, and Panama, with the runner ups of Group K and Group L will face off in town. Ghana and Panama will have already played in the city, but there’s potential for several other stars to visit for their first do-or-die game of the tournament.
There is a chance that Instagram’s most followed single individual, Cristiano Ronaldo, will be in Toronto during the World Cup. Instagram’s most followed single individual, it doesn’t get much bigger than Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of global sports stars. He’s the only men’s player ever to score in five separate FIFA World Cups, though amazingly he’s yet to score a goal in any knockout round.
Now competing for Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr, Ronaldo is chasing the one honour in world soccer that seems to elude him, as Portugal has yet to lift the FIFA World Cup trophy. If they’re looking to do so this go around, the road might just go through Toronto. James Rodriguez became a global sensation at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, leading the event with six goals while propelling his country through to the quarterfinals of the tournament.
After the country failed to qualify for the 2022 edition of the tournament, it’s his first time on the sport’s biggest stage once again since 2018. Rodriguez has had a bit of a tumultuous career, playing for nine clubs since 2019. But as one of the most popular South American players of his era, with a raucous fan base, Rodriguez is sure to still keep up his cult following status wherever he plays.
Toronto Fan Guide: Getting to BMO Field and Nearby Hotels
The useful takeaway is how this update affects teams, supporters, or match preparation before the tournament starts. Strong World Cup coverage should make the next team, fixture, or lineup implication clear.
Readers can use the related match and team pages to move from the news angle into practical tournament context. That keeps the article grounded in what fans search for before kickoff.