These are the dream matches we’d love to see in KC based on 2026 World Cup draw
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas City will host four 2026 World Cup group-stage matches at Arrowhead.
- FIFA will release the match schedule Saturday, finalizing Kansas City lineups.
- Dream draws highlight Argentina, Germany, Netherlands and surprise qualifiers.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw is over, and 42 teams have been placed in 12 groups ahead of next summer’s soccer showcase. Six more nations will qualify via playoffs, but we also know which group they’ll be in.
And now we wait to learn who will be playing in Kansas City.
But the pause will be less than 24 hours, because FIFA will announce the full schedule of matchups Saturday morning.
Kansas City will play host to four group-stage matches next June, and here are the dream matchups for the contests to be played at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
June 16: Argentina vs. Algeria
Defending World Cup champion Argentina is the top team in Group J and has one of the best players in soccer history as captain: Lionel Messi. He alone is worth the price of admission, but it’s more than just him, including Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez.
This will be the opening match of the World Cup for Argentina, which easily topped the South American qualifying standings.
Algeria has one of the cool nicknames: the Desert Foxes. They qualified with an 8-1-1 record and are back in the World Cup for the first time since 2014. That year they took Germany to extra time before falling in a Round of 16 match. Germany went on to win the World Cup after that scare.
June 20: Germany vs. Cote d’Ivoire
This is a Group E matchup, and while four-time champion Germany is the biggest name, this is a solid group. Cote d’Ivoire, better known here as the Ivory Coast, is in the World Cup for the fourth time.
The Ivory Coast went 8-0-2 in qualifying, scoring 25 goals without conceding once. Germany clinched its spot in the World Cup by thrashing Slovakia 6-0. Germany fans travel well and would be sure to help fill Arrowhead Stadium.
June 25: Netherlands vs. Tunisia
The big dog in Group F is the Netherlands, but Tunisia went 9-0-1 in World Cup qualifying and outscored its opponents 22-0. This is the third straight World Cup appearance and seventh overall for Tunisia.
Holland advanced to the final by easily winning its group. The Netherlands, which finished second in three different World Cups, went 6-0-2 in qualifying with a plus-23 goal differential.
Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk is the Netherlands’ best player but what makes this team so appealing is the fans. They dress in Orange and travel well. They’d be easy to spot in KC.
June 27: Argentina vs. Jordan
KC fans hopefully will get a second chance to watch Argentina play at Arrowhead.
This will be the final group-stage match, so it’s likely that Argentina will be playing against Jordan, which qualified for the World Cup for the first time. FIFA noted that Hassan Abdel-Fattah scored 16 goals during qualifying, so he could be a player to watch.
This story was originally published December 5, 2025 at 1:50 PM.
