See fans cheer Argentina soccer team arriving in Kansas City for 2026 World Cup
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Argentina's national soccer team arrived in Kansas City after an 11-hour flight.
- Players and staff touched down in Kansas City on Sunday morning just after 11 a.m.
- Argentina arrived in Kansas City as defending FIFA World Cup champions ahead of 2026.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is officially in Kansas City — even if games are still weeks away.
Members of Argentina, the defending champions, touched down in Kansas City on Sunday morning just after 11 a.m. after an 11-hour flight from capital city Buenos Aires.
Argentina is one of four squads that will have a World Cup base camp in the Kansas City area, along with the Netherlands, England (both in KC) and Algeria (in Lawrence).
Members of Team Argentina went straight from their customized, Messi-laden plane to charter buses on the airfield. They were then escorted by Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas police to the Origin Hotel on Berkley Riverfront, where they were greeted by more than 50 passionate fans.
The flight number for their 5,500-plus mile Aerolineas Argentinas flight was 1978.
The number 1978 is an homage to the 1978 World Cup that Argentina won as the host nation over the Netherlands in front of more than 71,000 fans at River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires.
Superstar Lionel Messi is expected to join the team Monday, according to reports.
Argentina will hold its training at Sporting Kansas City’s Compass Minerals National Performance Center. The team will spend time in Kansas City, training on Monday, before traveling across the South to play two friendlies.
That will lead to the defense of their World Cup title.
On Saturday, June 6, Argentina will play Honduras at Texas A&M’s Kyle Field. They follow that up with a final exhibition match vs. Iceland on Tuesday, June 9, at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Argentina, the current No. 3 team in the world according to FIFA rankings, only has one group match in Kansas City: its opening match against Algeria on June 16.
They could make it back to Arrowhead Stadium, dubbed Kansas City Stadium for the event, if they win their group (Group J) and advance to the quarterfinals for the city’s last World Cup match on July 11.
This story was originally published May 31, 2026 at 2:21 PM.
