Rain hammered the pavement at Humber Polytechnic’s Lakeshore Campus on Saturday morning, soaking jerseys and splashing across a giant soccer pitch.
But the weather barely registered once the whistle blew and 254 players locked themselves into position for what became the world’s largest game of human foosball.
Before kickoff, Guinness World Records adjudicator Chloe McCarthy gathered participants near the sidelines with a warning: there was almost no margin for error.
“The minimum number of participants to get this record is 251,” she told 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 custom-built arena — stretching 150 feet long and 68 feet wide — looked like a supersized version of the tabletop game, with rows of players gripping horizontal bars instead of plastic rods.
Dressed in bright blue and green Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. jerseys — OLG organized the event — participants shuffled side to side in unison, laughing and shouting as they chased a world record and, eventually, bragging rights.
Among them was Ray Wiecha, who stumbled across the event while scrolling through Facebook after seeing a post shared through 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.
McCarthy and a team of stewards monitored the match closely for what Guinness calls “full participation.” Players had to keep their hands on the handlebars at all times and remain actively engaged throughout the game. Anyone leaving the pitch risked disqualification — a nerve-racking prospect given what little leeway they had to break the record.
Wiecha said hearing the rules moments before kickoff made him uneasy.
“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 the ball started moving, the tension gave way to competition.
By the end of the rain-soaked match, Team Green defeated Team Blue 12-9.
Matthew King, an OLG employee who played in goal, said he scored the final two goals of the game despite having little soccer experience.
“I knew the concept, but I don’t play,” he said with a laugh after the match.
Standing in the rain with soaked sleeves and stiff hands, King joked he could barely tell how cold he was by the end.
The event was held as part of the lead-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Toronto is set to host games during the World Cup, which runs from June 11 to July 19. Games will also be hosted in Vancouver, as well as locations in the U.S. and Mexico.
OLG says the Toronto celebration was also to show support grassroots soccer programs and coaching initiatives across Ontario.