Mexico fans celebrate World Cup win at Power & Light in Kansas City: ‘Party all month’
While Mexico fans at the Fan Fest were covered in rain, those under the KC Live canopy were only covered in beer. Inside downtown Kansas City’s Power and Light District, fans flung their beer in the air to celebrate Mexico’s second goal in the opening match of the World Cup.
Young and old donned their green, red and white Mexico jerseys to see El Tri win the match against South Africa at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca.
In matching lucha libre masks they bought in Mexico, friends Mario Silva and Jorge Garcia sang in the beer line. Garcia, a Kansas City resident, said he was “excited” for the World Cup festivities held in his backyard.
“I played soccer for all my life, and I can’t believe that it’s like in my city, like 10, 20 minutes from my house,” Garcia said.
He said he’s going to have a “party all week, all month, probably.”
Jesus Ramirez held 7-month-old Gwendolyn Ramirez, decked out in a Mexico onesie and hair bow. And when Mexico scored its first of two goals, an older man stood up from the bench he was sitting on and held his cane with two hands.
Jay Toon of Olathe didn’t work Thursday and considered watching the game on his phone, but wanted to be in the crowd.
Toon said he has been a Mexico fan “since my first diaper change.”
He considered going to the Fan Fest but said he preferred the energy at Power and Light.
With the World Cup in his city, Toon had a message for others in the area: “If you love soccer, you’re gonna have to take advantage of this.”
The crowd was full of almost exclusively Mexico jerseys, though a few attendees represented other countries — Kenya, Italy, Colombia, Japan, Portugal.
Judith Appollis, in a yellow and green South Africa jersey, said she didn’t see any other South Africa fans until her daughter Kirby arrived.
Despite their birthplace’s lack of goals, the two were enjoying the match.
“We’re actually rooting for Mexico, but we were born in South Africa, so we had to represent our birth country,” Kirby Appollis said.
Described as a “super fan,” Judith Appollis keeps track of World Cup matches on a big calendar. “I’m pretty booked for the next month,” she said. “My blood oozes soccer.”
This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 6:12 PM.
