World Cup draw opens the possibility Messi-led Argentina will come to Kansas City
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- World Cup draw assigns Kansas City three group-stage matches and two knockout ties.
- Group J will feature Argentina and Messi; Groups E and F list top-ranked European teams.
- Kansas City will host matches June 16–27 and may serve as team base camp and hub.
Kansas City will be the site of four FIFA 2026 World Cup group-stage games in June.
Who will play in those games? The number of candidates was reduced significantly on Friday.
And it includes the defending champion — and perhaps the world’s greatest player. Such an appearance would be a treat for KC soccer fans.
The World Cup draw on Friday in Washington, D.C. assigned the 48 qualified national teams to groups. Kansas City will play host to games in Group J, and one each in Groups E and F (as well as a Round of 32 match and a quarterfinal).
Here are Groups J, E and F, as determined Friday at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts:
Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria and Jordan
Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Cote d’Ivoire and Curacao
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, and a playoff in March among Ukraine, Poland, Albania and Sweden.
The matchups, starting times and game sites will be announced on Saturday at 11 a.m. (Central Time).
Could Kansas City get a game involving Argentina, FIFA’s second-ranked team behind Spain, and its ageless star Lionel Messi?
Also in groups where games could be played in Kansas City are seventh-ranked Netherlands and ninth-ranked Germany.
Kansas City’s group-stage games will be played on June 16 (Group J), 20 (E), 25 (F) and 27 (J).
GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, which will be known as Kansas City Stadium during the World Cup, will also be the site of the Round of 32 game on July 3, and a quarterfinal on July 11.
Kansas City knows that for the Round of 32 game, it will get the first-place team in Group K, led by Portugal.
The top two teams from each group, and eight of the 12 third-place teams, will advance to the Round of 32.
Also, teams that will play games in Kansas City could consider the area for a base camp. Several nations have toured facilities in KC and Lawrence to set up headquarters during their World Cup stay.
This story was originally published December 5, 2025 at 1:46 PM.