Since the start of the FIFA World Cup, Toronto has seen thousands upon thousands of soccer fans come to town to cheer on their nations — but none of them are quite like Ivana Knoll.
The influencer and DJ has been dubbed the World Cup’s “sexiest fan” and was in attendance at Toronto Stadium on Tuesday night to watch her home country, Croatia, take on Panama in what was an important matchup in the group stages.
She didn’t disappoint with her outfit, either. Knoll kept the heat up on a breezy evening back Lake Ontario, rocking jeans and a skimpy bikini top with the familiar Croatian checkerboard theme and a blue outline with matching headband.
Meanwhile on the field, her team didn’t let her down, coming through with a hard-fought 1-0 over the Central American underdogs.
How has Knoll gone viral at the World Cup?
Knoll had said previously that she was let down by Croatia’s result in its opener against England, a 4-2 loss at Dallas Stadium.
“Of course I’m disappointed with the result, but I’ll always support my team,” she said. “I think Croatia can play much better than what we showed in the first game.”
Knoll turned heads during that game, rocking a Croatian flag-themed top that could be described as “barely there.”
After the loss to England, Knoll also noted that there were still six points up for grab in the team’s next two games — and they were able to secure three of them on Tuesday night in Toronto.
Throughout the match, she shared some snaps from the southside stands on her social media channels as she cheered on her side.
This one surely won’t rank at the top of her charts, however, as there’s some good competition.
“Nothing will ever compare to the World Cup final in 2018,” she said of her favourite World Cup memory.
“Watching the entire country come together and seeing our team make history was an unforgettable moment,” she added.
With Croatia notching its first win of the tournament here against Panama, she has plenty of hope that the team could go on another run — and maybe shock the world again.
“If I didn’t believe Croatia could win the World Cup, I wouldn’t be here,” she said. “Of course I believe Croatia can win it and our team has shown many times that they can surprise the world.”
“I’m here to support Croatia all the way and I believe anything is possible,” she said.
What else has the ‘sexiest fan’ been doing?
After performing late Sunday night at Club E11even in Miami — the nightclub famous with sports fans for hosting championship celebrations for the Florida Panthers and U.S. men’s hockey team — Knoll jetted north to Toronto.
Taking in the match isn’t all that she’s doing in the 6ix, either. She was interviewed by CBC News ahead of the match and took part in the massive rally of Croatian fans as they paraded towards the lakeside stadium before the game.
Following the game, she was set to hit the stage and perform at Lavelle nightclub as part of an after party for fans in the city for the big Group L matchup.
“Then we celebrate,” she told CBC. “We celebrate the win!”
There’s also a chance that Croatia could be back in Toronto in just over a week, too. Whichever team finishes second in Group L will take on the second-place side from Group K in Toronto’s lone Round of 32 matchup. With England and Ghana fighting to a 0-0 draw earlier on Tuesday, both countries currently have four points while the Three Lions are atop the group on tiebreakers.
If England defeats Panama and Croatia downs Ghana, the Balkans would finish in second place and return to Toronto.
How did Ivana Knoll become popular?
While Knoll made her first big mark after winning Miss Croatia in 2016, she rose to social media stardom after going viral during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
She often was spotted in the crowd cheering on Croatia and was dubbed the tournament’s “sexiest fan” by many online.
The beauty, who was born in Frankfurt, Germany, before moving to Zagreb, was also spotted attending matches featuring Croatia at the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany.
She has since grown her social media presence and boasts more than three million followers on Instagram.