Patrick Bakker is a lifelong soccer fan. Before moving to the United States as an adult, he grew up playing the game in the Netherlands, like the vast majority of Dutch boys.
“When you grow up as a boy, (soccer’s) the only thing that's basically listed for you to do, unless you're like, 6’ 6”, and you might play basketball or volleyball,” Bakker told KCUR’s Up To Date.
Soccer runs deep in Dutch culture. On game days, the streets flood with fans wearing the national team’s bright orange color. It’s a rare show of patriotism for a country of people whose national pride is usually more subtle, Bakker said.
The Netherlands is one of seven teams that will play matches in Kansas City during the Group Stage of the World Cup in June 2026, along with Curaçao, Algeria, Tunisia, Austria, Ecuador and reigning tournament champion Argentina.
Soccer is particularly huge in Argentina, where Isolina de la Vega lived before she moved to Kansas City three and a half years ago. She now owns Los Hornos Argentinian Flavors in the Northland.
Most girls weren’t soccer fans, de la Vega said, but her great grandfather was the president of a club in Tucumán. From the day she went to her first match, she was hooked.
Bakker and de la Vega are thrilled at the chance to see their teams play in their adopted city.
“You never imagine (a) big selection like Netherlands or Argentina is going to be here in Kansas City playing,” said de la Vega. “I’m happy because a lot of people is going to have the luck, good luck, to enjoy and know a new city.”
Neither Bakker or de la Vega have secured tickets yet. But their family and friends have already started planning for visits to Kansas City to attend a match, assuming they can get a good price -- or anything at all.
Fans can currently apply for match tickets right now in FIFA’s Random Selection Draw, which runs until Jan. 13, 2026. Tickets for the Argentina-Algeria match are currently going for between $265 to $700 each, while tickets to the match between Tunisia and the Netherlands range from $180 to $500.
Tickets to the quarterfinal match in Kansas City, which could feature juggernauts Argentina and Portugal and their star players Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, start at $535. European fan groups have criticized the high cost, and FIFA has said it will use dynamic pricing for some tickets.
- Patrick Bakker, Dutch citizen who has lived in Overland Park since 2002
- Isolina de la Vega, owner, Los Hornos Argentinian Flavors
