Passionate fans can’t wait for World Cup to come to KC: ‘Going to be awesome’
Hundreds of fans braved the December cold in Kansas City’s Power & Light District on Friday to watch the painstaking process of setting the field for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Groups for the tournament were largely set Friday at the end of a plodding broadcast from the World Cup draw at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Passionate fans in Kansas City watched, cheered and went home with freebies — and a better sense of how their favorite teams could navigate through soccer’s biggest tournament next year.
Kansas City will host six World Cup matches in June and July, and the specifics of matchups and locations were set to come Saturday.
Former Sporting Kansas City and United States men’s national team player Matt Besler said he couldn’t wait for Kansas City to experience soccer’s biggest event.
“I can guarantee you there will be lots and lots of people visiting Kansas City that have never even heard of Kansas City and don’t know where it is and have never been here,” he told the crowd. “It’s our job, and it’s our opportunity to show them what we’re all about.”
Fans were lined up to get inside the watch party as early as 8:30 a.m. The draw show started at 11 a.m., though the actual drawing of teams didn’t start until a little after 12:30 p.m. Former Kansas City Wizards defender Jimmy Conrad and soccer analyst Nate Bukaty emceed KC’s event and worked to keep the crowd engaged through the show.
The long waits in the cold didn’t kill the spirit of fans, who recognized the importance of what the day meant for Kansas City.
“It’s a global event, you can’t rush it,” said Jacci Kameri, who had been in the crowd a little before 10 a.m. She’s originally from Kenya, and noted the diversity within Kansas City and how she expects it to grow even more by the time the World Cup kicks off.
“It’s people like me that are out here in the community, trying to fit in ... just trying to be acclimated with everybody else and all the other cultures coming in,” she said. “Kansas City has become more diverse with time. I’m looking forward to seeing that grow by next year when the games begin.
Brookside’s Victor Tran grew up watching soccer with his dad at a young age and came into his own fandom when he moved to Kansas City as he experienced the city’s soccer culture.
“To see the rest of the world come and see Kansas City from a lens where we can host a big, major, global event is going to be awesome,” he said.
Conrad, who also played for the U.S. men’s national team, recalled childhood memories of being around the 1994 World Cup in Los Angeles, of seeing fans from Italy and Brazil mingling.
“It made me want to be part of something bigger than myself, and I wanted to see what that was about, to be able to motivate and inspire a country in that way,” said Conrad, who went on to play for the national team in the 2006 World Cup. “To go on and actually play in a World Cup was pretty surreal, to be honest. It’s going to be a hell of an experience, and I can’t wait to see which teams are coming to this city because they’re about to find out how special this place is.”
Mexico’s presence was strong at Power & Light
There was a sea of colors throughout the Power & Light District as fans represented their countries, from the red, white and blue from U.S. fans, to the red, green and yellow from Senegal fans. The biggest presence of fans were representing Mexico. After a crowd callout for Mexico from the emcees, it got loud.
Cesar Sanchez and Sara Hernandez, of Kansas City, Kansas, met through soccer years ago, and the sport has played a central role in their lives. They’re big fans of the Mexican national team and watch club soccer every weekend, both in Major League Soccer and Liga MX, Sanchez said.
“This is not like a regular game or a regular tournament,” he said of the World Cup. “It’s very important to us to be part of this kind of event.”
Fans anticipate potential Messi-Argentina game in KC
One of the biggest reactions from the Kansas City crowd came from the announcement of Argentina, the defending the 2022 FIFA World Cup title-holders, being in the Group J pool. Soccer legend Lionel Messi was the Most Outstanding Player in that tournament.
In the crowd of fans was Jaime Bautista, wearing Messi’s Argentina jersey. The possibility of Messi playing in Kansas City “means the world” to him.
“I watched Messi play since he was at Barcelona. Him coming to Kansas City is so huge,” Bautista said. “Being able to show the world one of the biggest names in all of football, I hope they come to Kansas City.”
Messi has actually played in Kansas City before. Back in February, he played against Sporting Kansas City during an MLS matchup playing for Inter Miami. In April 2024, Messi and Inter Miami took on Sporting KC at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, which drew over 72,000 fans.
Kansas City will host six World Cup matches in 2026. They are:
- Tuesday, June 16 — Group J
- Saturday, June 20 — Group E
- Thursday, June 25 — Group F
- Saturday, June 27 — Group J
- Friday, July 3 — Round of 32 knockout stage
- Saturday, July 11 — Quarterfinal