Italy's World Cup Exit: Toronto's Italian-Canadians Cheer for Canada

0:00It's April 1st. This is Canada News today, AI-powered stories from your city. Italy crashed out of the World Cup race today, losing a playoff to Bosnia Herzegovina on penalties after a one-one tie. That means they won't join Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland in Group B, or face the host in the opener at Toronto's BMO Field on June 12th. Fans packed spots like Cafe Diplomatico in Little Italy, rocking blue and white gear while glued to the screens. They popped off when Italy scored first in Zeneca, but the vibe flipped hard in the shoot-out. Disappointment hit deep folks, called it painful, like one guy wishing he slept through it. But some saw a silver lining. No Italy matchup means Toronto's Italian, Canadians can fully back Canada without split loyalties. Max Dantis at BMO Field even said it's better this way, keeping the energy pure for the home team. Toronto still set to host six World Cup games starting in June, so the party's just getting started, with Canada kicking things off strong.