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Beaver statue in front of American and Canadian flags
There’s been plenty of tension between the United States and Canada over the past couple of years, but both countries theoretically came together to serve as co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup. However, some of the lingering bad blood seemingly boiled over in Toronto after a vandal destroyed an American-themed beaver statue that was part of an art installation linked to the tournament.
The United States and Canada have had their fair share of disagreements over the years (none more notable than the War of 1812), but the two sides have been closely allied on both the defensive and economic fronts for close to a century.
However, that relationship began to sour at the start of Donald Trump’s second term after the president repeatedly expressed his desire to annex America’s neighbor to the north and make it the “51st state,” a development that understandably did not go over too well with people in Canada.
That dispute escalated with a resulting tariff war that led to some provinces removing American booze from shelves and saw Canadian fans shower “The Star-Spangled Banner” with boos during NHL and NBA games.
Those hostilities extended to the start of the World Cup, and it appears a beaver statue that was erected in Toronto for the event has become the latest casualty after being smashed to pieces.
Someone destroyed a USA-themed beaver statue that was part of a World Cup art installation in Toronto
Toronto and Vancouver were the two Canadian cities tapped to host World Cup games in 2026, and the former decided to commemorate the occasion with a scavenger hunt dubbed “The Great Beaver Quest.”
The quest in question is an art project involving 51 four-foot-tall beaver statues made of resin, which were painted by artists who were tasked with coming up with a unique design for the 48 teams that qualified (they are supplemented by a couple celebrating the global nature of the event and another inspired by the Old Town neighborhood where the statues were scattered).
Alyah Holmes was tapped to design the one for the United States, which features a beaver in a jersey emblazoned with the stars and stripes and a motif primarily inspired by America’s diverse geography, which includes palm trees, cacti, mountains, wheat fields, and the almost obligatory image of the Statue of Liberty.
Unfortunately, the CBC reports that particular beaver was targeted in an act of vandalism where its head was smashed in before the statue was toppled onto its side in an incident that unfolded at some point on Saturday night.
BEAVER STATUE DESTROYED
Toronto police are investigating the vandalism of a U.S.-themed beaver statue that was part of “The Great Beaver Quest,” a public art installation celebrating the #FIFA World Cup.
The artist behind the sculpture, who spent more than 100 hours creating… pic.twitter.com/Y30WVtMi1N
— Daily Tribune (@tribunephl) July 1, 2026
It does seem like the beaver was targeted due to its association with America, although a spokesperson for the organization that commissioned the statues noted that a “handful” have been damaged to some degree since they popped up in Toronto last month.
Holmes also said she’d received threats over her links to the statue while declining a formal interview, and Pete Hoekstra, who serves as America’s ambassador to Canada, bemoaned the development, saying:
“It was all Canadians that got hurt in the process. This act didn’t hurt the United States.
It hurt a gifted Canadian-American artist, the Toronto community, and the charity this art was set to benefit.”
The United States and Canada could theoretically get the chance to settle their differences on the pitch in the World Cup, as both teams made it to the knockout round.
However, that seems fairly unlikely, as the latter would need to win its next two games (which would probably include a showdown with France if they can get past Morocco) and the latter its next three to set up a matchup in the semifinals.