Pat McAfee issues apology to Canadian fans after berating them for booing US national anthem at Elimination Chamber

Pat McAfee explains his side of the situation after calling Canada a terrible country during Elimination Chamber in Toronto.

Pat McAfee issues apology to Canadian fans after berating them for booing US national anthem at Elimination Chamber

Pat McAfee issues apology following Elimination Chamber (via WWE)

Pat McAfee seems to have gotten himself involved in a lot of controversy following the Elimination Chamber PLE in Toronto. There has always been banter between sports fans in the US and Canada, and it seems that things got a little too heated last Saturday night.

As the Elimination Chamber kicked off, McAfee said that it was going to be a historic night for WWE, even though the show emanated from the terrible country of Canada. Since then, he has issued an apology on a recent edition of The Pat McAfee Show. The sports analyst said that he was passionate about his country, just like the Canadians had shown passion for theirs.

YouTube video

Pat McAfee said that he was very proud to be from the United States of America. This country had given his dad the opportunity to go from being a truck driver to a millionaire. He had also met a lot of military veterans who had tons of respect for the national anthem. Thus, when somebody started to boo the anthem, he got very aggressive toward them.

FS Video

McAfee said that perhaps he underestimated the Canadians’ passion for their country. He said that a lot of things had been said about him, and he called their country terrible. They should now shake hands and put this whole situation in the past. He even had Canadians on his team and did not look down upon them whatsoever.

The entire situation between Pat McAfee and the Canadian crowd at Elimination Chamber explained

As is the case with every WWE Premium Live Event, Elimination Chamber 2025 started with a rendition of the United States national anthem. However, the Canadian crowd began booing loudly when Elizabeth Irving was singing the anthem. The live crowd then changed moods completely and began cheering when she started to sing the Canadian national anthem.

Pat McAfee
Pat McAfee (via WWE)

There has been a lot of political tension between the two countries in recent years. McAfee even addressed this during his apology when Canadians told him that they did so because of what Donald Trump said. The 37-year-old said that when he thinks of Canada, he thinks about its people and not its political figures. Thus, he did not find geopolitics to be a valid reason for what went down.

The venue of the Elimination Chamber, the Rogers Center, is one of the most prominent sporting arenas in Canada. It is also very historic in the context of WWE. It has hosted events such as WrestleMania XI and WrestleMania 18, which featured iconic matches such as The Rock vs. Hollywood Hogan. This venue will once again be remembered for hosting John Cena‘s heel turn and even this controversy.

Related: “Embarrassed me in front of everyone,” WWE veteran berated Pat McAfee in Vince McMahon’s presence; former NFL punter almost ditched WrestleMania