All the Kansas City spots World Cup athletes visited during the tournament

The World Cup introduced international teams to everything Kansas City while they stayed in the area.

From food and activities to the overarching culture, players had the opportunity to be immersed in locals’ everyday go-tos.

Out of the 12 teams that came to the city, four had base camps in the metro area: Argentina, England, Netherlands and Algeria. The other teams were Ecuador, Curaçao, Tunisia, Bolivia, Austria, Colombia, Ghana and Switzerland.

Here’s all the places players explored around KC:

Argentina

After arriving on May 31, the Argentinian team stayed at Origin Hotel at 1001 Riverfront Drive. Show Pony, an Italy-inspired eatery attached to the hotel, closed its doors to the public during the team’s stay, reopening on July 15, according to the restaurant’s Instagram.

The team made Sporting KC’s Compass Minerals National Performance Center their World Cup base for practicing. On June 3, Argentina invited guests to watch a practice session at the center, according to the KC Star.

A group of players from the Argentine team took a trip to rent bikes from local Westport shop, Midwest Cyclery, The Star’s Julianna Mejia reported. Owner Christina Baanders-Decker delivered five bikes to their hotel. One thing she knew for sure was that a coach would be riding one around to see the scenery, said Baanders-Deckers.

Argentina players also got a taste of their home country in Kansas City. Players spread the word among one another about Los Hornos, an Argentine restaurant in Kansas City’s Northland, according to a story by KSHB (Channel 41). Owner Isolina de la Vega was more than happy to close their business to have their team dine at their establishment, according to the outlet.

England

England, another team that chose Kansas City as its home base, has been spotted frequently by locals.

Earlier in its stay, the team found its way into participating in Kansas City’s sports culture. The England team was invited to Kauffman Stadium for the Royals’ game against the Cardinals on Thursday, June 18. The Royals took home the win with a score of 14 to the Cardinals’ 6 points.

On Friday, Jude Belligham went out for a sweet treat with teammates. Betty Rae’s Ice Cream in Prairie Village got a visit from the team, spotted by Instagram user wendyy_pazz in a video she shared. The ice cream shop is only a four-minute drive from their base hotel.

Oillie Watkins, a forward for the team, spent time with his kids and wife Ellie Watkins, who shared about the outing on Instagram. They explored the Legoland Discovery Center at Crown Center, the Sea Life aquarium, stopping by Joe’s Kansas City for a taste of KC’s barbecue, The Star’s Pete Grathoff reported.

Until Monday, the team was staying at the Inn at Meadowbrook in Prairie Village and have been seen by fans there and around the area. Players took advantage of the hotel’s pool during a break from games and practice shared the team’s Twitter page.

A fan bumped into players in the midst of a stroll at the Meadowbrook Park, only a 10-minute walk from the hotel, user only.muss posted on Instagram.

Algeria

Algeria made the city of Lawrence its home base, staying at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel off McDonald Drive and Second Street. They practiced at the Rock Chalk Park at the University of Kansas.

The team hosted an open practice at their KU practice facility. With Algerian music playing for the duration of their practice, the team went for 45 minutes, according to The Star. The training session ended with players signing autographs and taking pictures with fans.

They also took time to meet young soccer players from the Sporting Kaw Valley youth soccer organization. Fifty kids and teens from the club came to KU to play with the team.

In addition to the park where they practiced, Algeria’s team got a tour of the KU campus, pretending to be American football stars at the under-construction David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, batting at Hoglung Ballpark and giving the hoops a try at the historic Allen Fieldhouse.

The team took a trip to CPKC Stadium for a practice match against Bolivia, whose team failed to make the 2026 World Cup tournament after their playoff loss to Iraq. On June 10, the Algerian team won 4-0 at the Current’s home stadium.

Netherlands

The Netherlands had extra time in Kansas City, staying for three weeks at their base camp Cascade Hotel at the edge of the Country Club Plaza. The team practiced at the KC Current’s training facility at Riverside Stadium, The Star reported.

The city of Riverside and the Currents gave away tickets to watch the Dutch team practice on June 10.

The team landed in KC on June 9, and around 3 p.m. that same day, they were on their way to golf at Tiffany Greens Golf Club, which is 10 minutes away from Kansas City International Airport. Players bought hats, shirts and golf balls, reported Eric Adler.

They rented all of the facility’s sets of clubs and golf carts. They reportedly played golf for five hours before chilling out at the clubhouse until sunset.

The team made themselves right at home, picking up bikes to explore like is popular in the Netherlands. The country has nearly 20,000 miles of cycling paths, comparable to the height of the highest peak in North America, Mount McKinely.

The team’s manager picked up 17 e-bikes from Midwest Cyclery, the same local bicycle shop as Argentina.

Players made frequent stops at Made in KC, only minutes away from their Plaza hotel, manager Kari Lindner told KCTV5. Some of them even made it a part of their daily routines, she said. Disguised in Chiefs apparel, players came by for afternoon coffees.

The king and queen of the Netherlands attended a KC match on June 20, watching Curaçao face off against Ecuador. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima flew into the city for the game after watching the Netherlands pummel Sweden, 5-1, live in Houston.

Switzerland

Switzerland faced Argentina in Kansas City on July 11. The team prepared themselves by practicing at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas on July 9.

The game ended in a 3-1 score, ending the Swiss’ World Cup run at the quarterfinal stage.

Bolivia

Bolivia’s team visited Kansas City for their friendly match against Algeria on June 10. Although not competing, they used the Park University facilities in Parkville to practice ahead of the friendly.

Ecuador

Although it’s not recorded where current players visited in Kansas City, someone from the team took a gamble on KC barbecue.

Mario “Canario” Espinoza, who played for Ecuador’s national team in the 1970s, tried Jack Stack Barbecue, calling the meal “very good” in a video posted by KCTV5.

Also, the Secretary General of the Ecuadorian Football Federation, Nicolás Solines, attended the Royal’s game against the Cardinals on June 18.

Curaçao

It’s also not known if the Curaçao team stopped anywhere in Kansas City, but others from the country had the chance to join in preparation for the team coming to the city.

The Investment & Export Promotion Agency of Curaçao (CINEX) visited the city on June 19 for dinner at KC House in the Plaza with Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports Sithree Van Heydoorn, KC Mayor Quinton Lucas and others, posted CINEX on Facebook.

Tunisia

The team wasn’t spotted out and about on the town, but a select number of fans showed their support at FIFA’s Fan Festival on game day, June 25 against the Netherlands, reported the Star’s Cristian Marshall.

Austria

Austria may not have had time to explore the city during their brief stop in KC for the match against Algeria on June 27. Austria’s ambassador for the United States, Dr. Petra Schneebauer, attended the match along with other fans, some of whom went to Fan Fest, according to KSHB41.

Colombia

Colombia’s team came to the city on July 3 when they played and won against Ghana. The team stayed at the Kansas City Marriott Country Club Plaza.

Ghana

Ghana stayed at the downtown Sheraton Kansas City hotel, only blocks away from where fans met up for a team rally at Washington Square Park on July 2. From their hotel balcony, the Black Stars enjoyed the excitement of the rally.

What’s next?

Preparing for their semifinal game on July 15 at 2 p.m. in Atlanta, Kansas City’s temporary home teams Argentina and England will be facing off for the glory of entering the final match stage.