Meet some of the KC kids who will escort World Cup players onto the field Tuesday
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Ryogoku Soccer Academy picked escorts from about 250 eligible kids for five KC games.
- Selected children aged 8 to 11 will escort players onto the field and during anthems.
- Player escorts are a cool World Cup tradition
Isabella Barrera’s childhood dream is about to come true.
When Argentina and Algeria players take the field Tuesday night for a World Cup match at Kansas City Stadium (aka Arrowhead), they won’t be alone. Each will have a player escort, which is one of the great World Cup traditions.
The 22 who will take part are all from Kansas City, including Barrera.
“I’ve sure dreamed of it,” Barrera said. “As a kid, I always wanted to be one of those kids walking out with the players, but I would never imagine that I would actually be able to do it. So it means a lot to me and I’m really excited.”
It should be noted that Barrera, who lives in Kansas City, is 11 years old. The player escort program pairs kids with a game starter, and sure, Barrera is on the young side to have a lifetime dream come true, but this is a huge deal.
The player escorts were first used at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, and the sight of kids walking hand-in-hand with the world’s best players has been a hit with fans ever since.
Brad Leonard, director of the Ryogoku Soccer Academy, said his organization was chosen in December to pick the kids who would participate in the Quaker Oats Player Escort Program for five games in Kansas City. The only match they won’t be part of is in the Round of 32.
“We had about 250 kids that were eligible,” Leonard said, “and then we sat down with the community partners we have, and we were just like, ‘All right, which kid kind of exhibits those character traits and leadership skills that we want to showcase to the world?’ And as you can imagine, those conversations are not easy, right? Some kids got left out, and you know that’s a really, really tough, tough conversation to have.
“I think the other cool thing we did is we selected these kids that are mostly all from Northeast and East Side Kansas City, which I think historically has been kind of overlooked. But we just kind of made it known in our mission to just select those kids that would never ever have an opportunity like this. And it’s just been really cool to see how things have unfolded here.”
Going to a World Cup is exciting enough, but imagine taking the field with a soccer star. It will get even better for the kids, who are all between the ages of 8 and 11.
They’ll take a charter bus on game day to the stadium, get fed and receive some new clothes. They’ll practice taking the field hours before the game, then wait in a special room just for them inside Arrowhead Stadium. They’ll pass the time with video games and TVs.
“Once game time comes, they’re gonna get to walk through the tunnel with some of these world stars, like (Argentina legend Lionel) Messi,” Leonard said. One of these kids is gonna walk out with Messi. It’s insane, and they’re going to get to hold his hands and walk out in front of 75,000 screaming fans and have the moment of a lifetime, right?
“The camera is going to be on them while Messi is singing his national anthem, and it just gives me goosebumps, even thinking about it.”
These Kansas City kids won’t just be on the side of the field. They’ll join the players around the center circle while each country’s national anthem is played, and cameras will beam images of the children into homes around the world.
That includes 11-year-old Ana Salario.
“I used to watch soccer games when I was younger with my brothers and my parents, and so when we used to watch it, or we still do, but I saw those kids walking with the players,” Salario said. “Like, oh my God, it’s like they’re so famous, and those kids are so lucky. (I remember thinking), ‘One day I will walk with the players and do the same thing,’ and I guess it came true, basically.”
This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 8:30 AM.
