Reigning World Cup champion Argentina will open the 2026 tournament in Kansas City against Algeria, according to schedules released Saturday during the second day of FIFA's final draw.
In Kansas City:
- Argentina and Algeria will play at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16.
- Ecuador will face Curaçao at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 20.
- Tunisia plays the Netherlands at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 25.
- Algeria and Austria will play at 9 p.m. on Saturday, June 27.
After the four first-round games, Kansas City will host a Round of 32 match on Friday, July 3, and a quarterfinal match on Saturday, July 11, with competitors to be determined by first-round play.
“Kansas City is excited to welcome fans and followers of the national teams competing at the historic ‘Kansas City (Arrowhead) Stadium’ in 2026,” Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a statement. “Teams and their fans from Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Ecuador, Curaçao, Tunisia, and the Netherlands will experience Kansas City’s world-class hospitality as we host the beautiful game on the world’s biggest stage. We are thrilled to meet hundreds of thousands of fans ready to celebrate their teams and Kansas City’s global moment with us.”
Regional leaders involved in planning the World Cup said Saturday that they are "buzzing" with excitement over the matchups — especially for the opportunity to host Argentina, a reliable soccer powerhouse. The national team beat France to win the 2022 World Cup, and its captain, Lionel Messi, is widely considered one of the greatest soccer players of all time.
Pam Kramer, CEO of KC2026, the group that's planning the games locally, called the Argentina vs. Algeria matchup a "blockbuster."
"We know there will be millions, if not billions, of eyeballs on us at that point, and we could not be more excited about that," she said in a news conference on Saturday afternoon.
A crowd of thousands braved the cold weather in Kansas City’s Power & Light District on Friday to watch the FIFA World Cup final draw to place teams in their groups.
Kansas City was already set to get two games between Group J teams, one from Group E and one from Group F. Friday’s draw determined who was in each group, and on Saturday, FIFA announced when those teams will play each other.
The draw placed the qualifying nations into 12 groups of four teams each, which then play each other until the top points-getters advance to the next round.
The 48-team tournament is the first to be played in three countries and has been billed as one of the largest and most complex World Cups in history.
Brothers Juan Pablo and Ramon Rodriguez from Shawnee, Kansas, were among the first thousand fans to arrive, dressed in outsized sombreros and fake black mustaches. They said they wanted to support Kansas City as it prepares to host the top tournament for "the most amazing sport in the world."
Ramon Rodriguez says he was excited to support both Mexico and the United States.
“Viva Mexico. Viva USA,” he said. “We love you guys, because sports is the most beautiful thing."
Aaron Royal is a Sporting KC member, and he’s been to a few Current games this year. He said he is excited for the indoor soccer season, too. Royal said he thinks the tournament will put Kansas City on the map for an international audience.
“We're easily the soccer city of the Midwest,” Royal said. “I hope that Kansas City represents and gives them that Midwest nice, that we always like to present to the outside world.”
The final draw took place in Washington, D.C., at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and was livestreamed to a crowd at KC Live! in Power and Light. Power & Light District and H&R Block gave away scarves and pumped up the crowd.
People have already been able to buy tickets to the game through a lottery system, but prices are expected to increase now that fans know where and when their favorite teams will play.
Kansas City’s recognition as a soccer-loving city has come recently, but it has a long and rich history with the beautiful game, starting with the immigrants who started local leagues and lobbied for playing spaces.
All Kansas City’s games will be played at Arrowhead Stadium, which will be known as Kansas City Stadium during the tournament.
Still to be determined are the spots where teams will set up their base camp for the duration of the tournament. Being offered as local base camps are the Sporting KC training facility, the KC Current training facility and Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kansas.
Some teams have already reached out to Kansas City to schedule tours, Kramer said. She said she believes the regional spots will appeal to teams because of the high quality of the facilities and the central location of Kansas City to other World Cup host cities.
Kramer said teams will select their top choices for a base camp by Jan. 5. Base camp locations will be announced by FIFA in March, she said.
