Netherlands & Algeria have left their KC-area World Cup base camps. Who remains?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Algeria departed Kansas City for Vancouver to face Switzerland on Thursday at 10 p.m.
- The Netherlands left Kansas City Wednesday morning after elimination by Morocco.
- Argentina has not disclosed travel plans and could play a Kansas City quarterfinal on.
Having created enduring memories for teams and local communities alike, the four international soccer teams that chose to make their “base camp” headquarters around the Kansas City metro during the quadrennial tournament are slowly hitting the exits.
Argentina, the Netherlands and England all chose the KC as their home base for the 2026 FIFA World Cup; Algeria was staying in nearby Lawrence, Kansas. All four reached the knockout rounds.
The Netherlands, however, was eliminated by Morocco in the Round of 32 on Monday in Mexico. The Dutch national team had encamped at the Kansas City Current’s training facility and last week bathed downtown KC in orange for its signature “Oranje Fanwalk.”
The Netherlands departed Kansas City on Wednesday morning, team officials told The Star.
England plans to keep training at Swope Soccer Village throughout the tournament. The English team beat Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday.
Algeria, meanwhile, has departed for Canada to face Switzerland in Vancouver, B.C., at 10 p.m. Central Time on Thursday. The Algerian team is not expected to return to Lawrence, even with a win and another match to come, University of Kansas officials told The Star.
Algeria has trained at KU’s Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence. The community there will surely continue to support the team, as the relationship forged between the visiting players and local residents became one of the most popular feel-good stories of this World Cup.
Team Argentina has not made its travel plans public, but the defending champions are still on track toward a possible quarterfinal match in Kansas City. The Argentinians face World Cup debutant Cabo Verde on Friday at 5 p.m. in Lionel Messi’s adopted hometown of Miami.
On Friday, Kansas City (Arrowhead) Stadium will play host to a game between Ghana and Colombia. The Round of 32 match is set to kick off at 8:30 p.m. CT.
The quarterfinal match here is scheduled for July 11 at 8 p.m. We could see a rematch between Argentina and Algeria, but other teams — Colombia, Ghana, Switzerland, Egypt, Australia and Cabo Verde — could play their way to Kansas City instead.
The Star’s Pete Grathoff and Shreyas Laddha contributed to this report.
