Portugal fans bought World Cup tickets for Ronaldo in KC. They got Colombia-Ghana
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Portugal supporters bought Kansas City tickets hoping to see Cristiano Ronaldo play.
- Colombia won Group K and was in the Kansas City match.
- Fans from multiple states attended the Kansas City World Cup match wearing rival jerseys.
World Cup matches are similar to Super Bowls, in that fans show up wearing the jerseys of their favorite players and teams alongside those of the teams and players actually playing that day.
The World Cup bracket through Kansas City has seen an array of jerseys — including some for Portugal, a team that could’ve been playing a knockout-stage game in KC.
On Friday, a sprinkling of red Portugal jerseys dotted the ocean of yellow worn in support of Colombia and Ghana for a 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 match at Kansas City (Arrowhead) Stadium. Some fans had obviously been expecting to see superstar Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal playing in that game.
Fans like AJ Togbe bought tickets early after looking at the bracket. But Colombia landed in Kansas City instead, the winner of Group K after beating out second-place Portugal.
Togbe traveled from his home in La Porte, Indiana to watch the match.
“I was kind of disappointed,” he told The Star, “but I was like, ‘You know what, it’s the chance to go to a World Cup game.’ Not a lot of people, at least where I’m from, are able to go to that.”
George Melo and his family came up from Northwest Arkansas. He bought tickets for his family when they were first released, hoping to see the team representing his ancestry.
On Friday he showed up in Kansas City wearing Ronaldo’s Portugal jersey, rooting for Ghana to beat Colombia.
“We had our hopes up, but that’s OK,” Melo said. “Watch Ghana.”
Same thought process for Landon Mendoza, who traveled with his friend from St. Louis to watch the match. They were gifted tickets. Mendoza wore a yellow Colombia jersey while his football-focused friend, Max Kappelmann, donned Mendoza’s Ronaldo jersey to fit in.
Mendoza watched Portugal’s last group match against Colombia at work, hoping the Portuguese would play their way to Kansas City Stadium.
“I was actually pretty upset the rest of work,” Mendoza said. “But this is still a great game, though. Colombia is a fun team to watch.”
Ronaldo’s ardent supporters love his work ethic on the pitch and the passion that he brings to the game and his teams. They’ve enjoyed watching him and Portugal compete in the tournament, even if they haven’t performed at their best.
With no chance of coming to KC, even for the final World Cup match here on Saturday, July 11 — a quarterfinal — Portugal faces Spain on Monday in Dallas. Kansas City’s last World Cup match will be between the winners of Egypt-Argentina and Colombia-Switzerland games in the Round of 16.
This is Ronaldo’s last World Cup at age 41. And fans are split on how they believe the team will fare when it’s all said and done. But overall, they sounded glad to come to a World Cup match — whether their favorite team was playing or not.
“(Portugal) hasn’t played the best World Cup,” Mendoza said Friday night. “I think Spain is gonna knock them out, but I hope they can turn it around.”
