TORONTO – Heavy rain poured down at Humber Polytechnic’s Lakeshore Campus on Saturday morning, soaking jerseys and splashing over a huge soccer pitch.
But the weather was hardly a concern once the whistle blew and 254 players took their positions for what turned out to be the largest game of human foosball in the world.
Before the game started, Guinness World Records judge Chloe Mc Carthy gathered everyone near the sidelines with a caution: there was hardly any room for mistakes.
“The minimum number of participants to get this record is 251,” she informed the crowd. “We have 254 spots on that field. So, if just three or four people are disqualified, you will not get the record title.”
The specially designed arena – measuring 150 feet long and 68 feet wide – resembled an oversized version of the tabletop game, with players holding onto horizontal bars instead of plastic rods.
Dressed in bright blue and green jerseys from Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., which organized the event, participants shuffled side to side together, laughing and cheering as they chased after a world record and some bragging rights.
Among them was Ray Wiecha, who discovered the event while scrolling through Facebook after seeing a post shared in a Canadian Facebook group.
“So I decided to join up with this and get a few of my friends to come as well,” he said.
Mc Carthy and her team kept a close eye on the match for what Guinness calls “full participation.” Players had to keep their hands on the handlebars at all times and stay actively involved throughout the game. Anyone leaving the pitch risked being disqualified – which was stressful considering how little leeway they had to break the record.
Wiecha admitted that hearing about the rules just before kickoff made him anxious.
“I got a little nervous when they talked about the rules because they mentioned you needed a minimum of 250 participants and we only had 254,” he said. “The goals I thought we could get, but the hand holding of the bars is where I was a little nervous.”
Still, once play began, all that tension faded into competitive spirit.
By the end of this rain-drenched match, Team Green triumphed over Team Blue with a score of 12-9.
Matthew King, an OLG employee who played goalie, shared that he scored two goals toward winning despite not having much soccer experience.
“I knew the concept, but I don’t play,” he laughed after finishing up.
Standing in pouring rain with wet sleeves and cold hands, King joked that it was hard to tell how chilly it was by then.
The event served as part of preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in 2026.
Toronto will host matches during this World Cup taking place from June 11 to July 19. Games will also be held in Vancouver along with various locations across Mexico and U. S. A.
OLG stated that this Toronto celebration aimed to support grassroots soccer programs as well as coaching initiatives throughout Ontario.
This report by The Canadian Press was first May 23, 2026.
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