Kansas City is hosting its first of six FIFA World Cup matches on Tuesday, and local officials are urging ticketholders to get to the stadium early.
Tuesday’s game is a matchup between Argentina and Algeria, two teams that have captured local excitement from Kansas City to Lawrence, Kansas, where the African team is based for the tournament. The group stage game kicks off at Arrowhead Stadium, renamed Kansas City Stadium for the duration of the World Cup, at 8 p.m. CT.
It will also be the first test of the new regional transportation system set up to funnel thousands of fans across the metro to the Truman Sports Complex.
“There will be things to see, things might take a little longer,” said Pam Kramer, CEO of the local organizing group KC2026, at a press conference Monday. “The systems are different and the process is different, so we want to make sure everybody's in their seat for the match.”
Kramer said on Monday morning that 11,000 people have signed up for the Connect KC26 direct bus service to the stadium for Tuesday’s match, and she encouraged people interested in a ride to sign up right away.
While buses departing from the Oak Park Mall, in Johnson County, and North Kansas City are already fully-booked, Kramer said there are still seats on match-day buses departing from other locations, like the FIFA Fan Festival at the National WWI Museum and the Plaza Transit Center.
“No worries about capacity,” Kramer said. “We’re seeing lots of late signups for that, so expect that to increase as well.”
The stadium-direct service costs $15, and service begins 3 hours before kickoff.
“I would encourage fans to get on the bus early to arrive,” Kramer said.
Gabe Rosenberg
Kramer said KC2026 will test the new stadium bus routes during high-traffic times on Monday with a fleet of 60 buses.
Algeria in Lawrence, Argentina on the Riverfront
The Algerian team is calling Lawrence, Kansas, home for the duration of the tournament, and the linkup between Algerian fans and locals has become a viral sensation.
“They have brought their warmth, they have brought their energy, they have brought their excitement,” Lawrence Mayor Brad Finkeldei said of Algerian fans on Monday. “They've come to Lawrence and we've embraced them, and they've embraced us.”
On Tuesday, the Lawrence Busker Festival will host a free, outdoor event called “Score Lawrence” in the lead-up to the Algeria-Argentina match. That event kicks off at 3 p.m. on East 7th Street in downtown Lawrence. Fans can also watch the game for free at Liberty Hall.
The Argentine team, meanwhile, is staying at a hotel near the newly-redeveloped Berkeley Riverfront.
Local fans will celebrate with “Banderazo Argento” in Mill Creek Park on Monday, June 15, the day before the game. The event is free, and starts at 6 p.m.
The Argentina team was preceded in town by three Argentine men who biked 11,000 miles, spanning 17 countries, to arrive in Kansas City last week.
Though they initially arrived without tickets to the team’s first World Cup match, their feat caught the attention of Mike Kelly, chairman of the Johnson County Board of Commissioners, who presented them each with tickets.
“We've also been able to have different meals with some of our new friends from Argentina and, I can tell you, it feels like family already,” Kelly said. “That's something that transcends what may divide us, and I think that's something that we're excited about here during this tournament.”
Fans can also watch tomorrow’s game on FOX, and at the FIFA Fan Festival, which opens at 10 a.m.
