After all the planning, Day 1 of the World Cup in KC lived up to the hype
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- Fans exited at Union Station and walked up Main Street to the Fan Fest line.
- KC2026 CEO Pam Kramer praised turnout, saying years of preparation paid off on Day 1.
- The Dutch held an open practice with Ruud van Nistelrooy; Argentina greeted a visitor.
The Streetcar was running a few minutes behind Thursday afternoon when it pulled up to Union Station on the way to UMKC.
It was packed with fans, mostly dressed in green Mexico soccer jerseys and shirts. Their next stop was the World War I Museum & Memorial, where they’d attend the World Cup Fan Fest. But a World Cup volunteer stepped into the streetcar and suggested fans exit at Union Station, because the line to enter Fan Fest was so long.
In fact, that line snaked down Main Street nearly to Pershing. It was visible inside the streetcar at Union Station, so most heeded the advice. They walked up the hill and made their way to Fan Fest to watch Mexico kick off the World Cup with a match against South Africa in Estadio Azteca.
Mexico City might have been the site of the first World Cup match, but all over Kansas City, soccer was on display.
Pam Kramer, the CEO of KC2026, was beaming at the turnout at Fan Fest because years of preparation for Thursday had paid off. People were in a festive mood at Fan Fest, despite a quick rain shower that hit. As the first few drops fell, Mexican fans joined in the singing of the national anthem as it was played in Mexico City. I thought this was great.
Watch parties were held elsewhere in Kansas City, but the soccer fervor here wasn’t just about that opening match. The three World Cup teams in the KC area were hard at work and there were some seriously cool moments on Thursday.
In Riverside...
At the Current training facility, the Dutch team worked on a passing drill with assistant coach Ruud van Nistelrooy, a former Manchester United and Real Madrid star who played in the World Cup for Holland in 2006.
That van Nistelrooy, who scored 35 goals for the Netherlands, is in Kansas City would usually have been a big deal. But there have been a lot of huge moments here lately.
A Voetbal Primeur story noted of the Dutch: “Training is intense in Kansas City, as can be seen during Thursday’s public session. Ruud van Nistelrooy keeps a close eye on the internationals, who eventually receive compliments.“
In KCK ...
Argentina had an open practice session at Sporting Kansas City’s Compass Mineral National Performance Center, but coach Lionel Scaloni had to stop training at one point.
Scaloni wasn’t upset with his players. He was actually happy because a former teammate made a surprise visit to Kansas City, Kansas. TN Sports reported Scaloni “met up with Djalminha, a former teammate at Deportivo La Coruña and current Brazilian television commentator, who took the opportunity to visit him on the opening day of the World Cup.”
Djalminha, a former Brazilian national team player, and Scaloni shared a hug. Yeah, this also happened in KC on Thursday:
In Lawrence ...
The Algerian national team, which will play at Kansas City Stadium (née Arrowhead) on Tuesday, held an open practice in Lawrence. The Star’s Shreyas Laddha was on the scene as a big crowd came to watch and some kids even got to play with the team.
Oh and the players visited Allen Fieldhouse and the played a little football at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
For months, there was a lot of hoopla about the World Cup being in Kansas City with six matches and four base camps. And on Thursday, when the World Cup finally arrived, I’d say it certainly lived up to the hype.
This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 9:01 AM.
