Gracie Hunt says watching World Cup matches in Arrowhead is ‘incredibly special’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Gracie Hunt will serve as an official hospitality ambassador for World Cup matches.
- She said watching World Cup matches at Arrowhead will be emotional, historic, and special.
- Arrowhead Stadium will be renamed Kansas City Stadium for the tournament and host matches.
Monday night Gracie Hunt posted video of GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, empty, waiting in the dark for thousands of World Cup fans to fill all those Chiefs-red seats.
“‘Twas the night before fútbol,” wrote Hunt.
Lionel Messi and Argentina will begin their defense of the FIFA World Cup title Tuesday when they meet Algeria’s national team in Arrowhead, which will be known as Kansas City Stadium for the tournament.
As an official hospitality ambassador for World Cup matches in Kansas City, the daughter of Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt is about to spend the next month welcoming soccer fans and singing the city’s praises.
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It is a poignant, full-circle moment for her family.
The matches showcase the Hunt family’s long-standing love of both football and fútbol.
As an early investor and club owner, Gracie’s grandfather, Lamar Hunt, founder of the Chiefs, played a pivotal role in founding Major League Soccer.
Hunt, who founded the MLS soccer team known today as FC Dallas, also helped bring the World Cup to the United States in 1994.
His name is in U.S. soccer history books for funding the construction of the first soccer-specific stadium in the country in Columbus, Ohio, which opened in 1999.
“He loved this community, he loved Arrowhead Stadium and to have the tournament that he loved and went to cheer for so any times all here together would be so special for him,” Clark Hunt, chairman and CEO of FC Dallas of Major League Soccer (as well as the Kansas City Chiefs), said of his father at a World Cup event on Monday.
“And certainly, as I stand in the stadium tomorrow night and watch the game kick off my thoughts are going to be with him.”
Lamar Hunt, affectionately known as “Uncle Lamar” to Dallas soccer fans, died in 2006.
Gracie and her family were in Los Angeles Friday watching the U.S. Men’s national World Cup team win its first match over Paraguay.
She shared behind-the-scenes photos and videos, which she is sure to do from Kansas City over the coming weeks — likely tagged “FÚTBOL IS LIFEEEEE!”
Gracie is among celebrities in each host city will serve as global ambassadors, connecting with fans and promoting local tourism and culture.
Actors Cobie Smulders from “How I Met Your Mother” and Rob Lowe, singer Ciara, former NBA player Carmelo Anthony and soccer great Megan Rapinoe are also serving as hospitality captains in Canada and the United States.
Gracie Hunt answered a few questions from The Star via email before the tournament began.
You had a stellar high school career playing soccer before you followed your mom into the pageant world. What makes soccer, which has become so popular in the United States, a great sport for girls and boys to participate in? Why did you enjoy playing?
“Soccer is such a beautiful sport because it teaches discipline, teamwork, resilience, communication, and creativity all at once. It’s also a global language. No matter where you’re from, you can step onto a field and immediately connect through the game.
“I loved playing because it challenged me physically and mentally, but it also gave me some of my earliest lessons in confidence, perseverance, and what it means to be part of something bigger than yourself.”
You have been to every World Cup since 2010. Describe the excitement of this event for people who have never been.
“There is truly nothing like the World Cup. It feels like the whole world comes together: different flags, languages, cultures, and stories, all united by a shared love of the game. The energy is electric, emotional, and unforgettable. You don’t just watch the World Cup, you feel it.”
If someone comes to Kansas City who has never been here, what are three things you would tell them to do while they’re here?
“First, you have to experience Kansas City barbecue. Joe’s Kansas City and Arthur Bryant’s are both iconic for a reason.
“I’d also tell people to visit the National WWI Museum and Memorial because it is one of the most powerful and meaningful places in our city.
“And then I’d encourage them to explore the Country Club Plaza or Union Station so they can really feel Kansas City’s charm, history, architecture, and hospitality.”
What will it be like for you watching World Cup in Arrowhead? Where will you be watching matches from?
“Watching World Cup matches at Arrowhead will be incredibly special. I grew up with that stadium as such a meaningful part of my life, so seeing it welcome the world for soccer will be emotional, historic, and such a full-circle moment.
“I’ll be experiencing matches through the hospitality side and around the stadium as part of helping welcome guests to Kansas City, but honestly, I think the best seat will be anywhere you can feel the roar of that crowd.
And finally, what does it mean to you to be asked to be an ambassador for FIFA Hospitality?
“It is such an honor. Kansas City is a city with so much heart, pride, and hospitality, and I feel incredibly grateful to help share that with the world.
“Having grown up around sports, played soccer, and attended every World Cup since 2010, this opportunity feels deeply personal. I’m so excited to help welcome fans to a city that I believe will surprise them, embrace them, and give them an unforgettable World Cup experience.”
This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 12:05 PM with the headline "Gracie Hunt says watching World Cup matches in Arrowhead is ‘incredibly special’."
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