Kansas City's Fan Festival is packed to the brim Saturday for its final day, ahead of the host city's final match during the 2026 World Cup.
The Argentina-Switzerland match, a quarterfinal, kicks off at 8 p.m. at Arrowhead Stadium.
Team Argentina
Argentina fans were already filling Fan Fest during the afternoon, which featured the Norway-England quarterfinal match on the big screen.
Marcus Bowman, of Pensacola, Florida, has been an Argentina fan (or, perhaps more accurately, a Lionel Messi fan) for the past year. He watched Argentina play Iceland in a friendly match in Alabama about a month ago, and he has enjoyed connecting with other Argentina fans.
"They're behind their team," he said. "It's interesting as an American a lot of these other countries how important soccer is to their country identity."
Bowman said he had the opportunity to watch Messi play at the friendly match, although he started in the latter half.
"Messi, I think, brings a lot of fans to Argentina," he said. "... When he came in the game everybody was just standing up, cheering, so I expect the same thing tonight in Kansas City."
Bowman also had high praise for Kansas City International Airport, the streetcar and local restaurants for their embrace of the tournament and its teams.
"It's just so cool how serious Kansas City has taken the World Cup," he said.
Estuardo Reyes traveled to Fan Fest from Joplin, Missouri, to watch Argentina, the team he has supported since he was a child.
"They have a pretty good chance," Reyes said of Argentina's ability to make it through Saturday's quarterfinal to the final next weekend. "Hopefully we can come out on top and take a second (World Cup trophy) home."
Reyes said Kansas City has put out a "good vibe" during the World Cup.
"Everyone's here to support, even though we're on different teams, but we're all here having fun and making the best of it," he said.
Team Switzerland
For Switzerland’s national team, this quarterfinal appearance marks the most games it has played at a single World Cup tournament. A win over Argentina, a tough task against the defending champions, will put Switzerland into the semifinal for the first time in its history.
Among Switzerland's local fans are the owners of Andre’s Confiserie Suisse near 50th and Main. Opened by Andre Bollier in 1955, the chocolate shop has remained in the family since. Now, René Bollier and his wife, Nancy, are celebrating their arrival in Kansas City with special Swiss flag chocolate squares.
“We still can’t believe it,” the store posted on Instagram of Switzerland playing in Kansas City. “The last time Switzerland reached the quarterfinals was 1954, just one year before we opened our doors. As Swiss, this is HUGE for us.”
This continues a tournament-long celebration at Andre’s, which features a tres leches chocolate for Argentina, a stroopwafel chocolate for the Netherlands and milk chocolate, toffee and almonds for England.
This is also Switzerland's first game in this tournament played away from the West Coast. The team spent the previous five games in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Vancouver.
Fans welcomed the national team and visiting fans on Friday at the Power and Light District, featuring Alphorns, with Mayor Quinton Lucas trying his hand at the long wooden horn.
For the team, they enter the game missing key midfielder Johan Manzambi, a young standout of the tournament who suffered a knee injury before the Round of 16 against Colombia. Before that, Manzambi scored three goals and assisted two others, helping the team top Group B and defeat Algeria in the Round of 32.
This is the eighth time Switzerland and Argentina have played each other, with Argentina unbeaten in all, a record of 6-0-2.
