Why Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes got together with soccer star Lionel Messi this week
There’s a bit of history between the world’s biggest soccer star and the NFL’s most famous player.
World Cup champion Lionel Messi in February arrived at Super Bowl LIX with his kids, and one was spotted in a jersey of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
A year ago, Messi and Inter Miami FC played Sporting Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium. As he headed toward the field, Messi met with Mahomes.
So Messi and Mahomes know each other and they met up once again this week, this time in Los Angeles. The reason? The two stars were part of Adidas’ 2026 World Cup kickoff event at BMO Stadium.
Former German striker Jürgen Klinsmann and ex-Italian forward Alessandro Del Piero also were at the gathering. Ditto for singer Pharrell Williams. FIFA president Gianni Infantino took part, too, and he brought the World Cup trophy with him.
Goal.com said the World Cup trophy was being taken around the globe on a tour, and that afforded Mahomes the opportunity to get a closer look at what teams will be playing for next year.
The 2026 World Cup will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, and six matches will be played at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 12:02 PM.
