This summer, Kansas City stood at the center of the World Cup — and not just geographically. Fans from all across the globe poured into the tournament’s smallest host city, showing off their teams’ culture and pride while discovering what Kansas City had to offer.
According to KC2026, more than 410,000 fans attended the six matches at Arrowhead, renamed Kansas City Stadium for the tournament. The FIFA Fan Festival, hosted on the grounds of the National WWI Museum and Memorial, also boasted more than 400,000 attendees.
While KCUR’s reporters fanned out across the city to speak with fans, the National WWI Museum and Memorial welcomed visitors in to share their reflections on the tournament and Kansas City.
“ We came over here with a little bit of a tainted image of America because of what we see in the media back home,” Ron Zonneveld, from New Zealand, told the WWI Museum and Memorial. “And sometimes that tainted image is not right. Kansas City's fantastic, actually. That's one of the biggest surprises.”
United States leaders faced criticism before and during the tournament for their immigration policies and the war in Iran. Zonneveld had some strong messages for the U.S.
“Learn some lessons and don't put your country or people through this pain,” Zonneveld said. “Find other ways to find some peace ... It's all greed, and greed causes so many problems.”
However, Zonneveld said the World Cup was an opportunity to subvert expectations.
“Sport cuts through barriers and gets people meeting on the street and talking to each other and understanding we're just all the same human beings. We wake up in the morning, and we're alive and we're breathing,” said Zonneveld.
“ We're glad we came to Kansas City. We've really enjoyed it,” he continued. “We're glad we picked Kansas City to come to because we could have chosen some other American cities. I wish we could probably stay longer, actually, because it's a really good vibe.”
Experiencing Kansas City’s hospitality and Midwest pleasantries was a central theme for first-time visitors. Guests noted how they were greeted from across the street, or how strangers would ask for their names.
“From the airport to here, everybody's welcoming, everybody's making sure that we're comfortable,” said Amine Bayoudh from Tunisia. “If we need anything, we don't need to ask for anything.”
Despite early frustrations with transit to the stadium, Bayoudh called the transportation offered by ConnectKC26 easy and “wonderful so far.”
Kansas City had the most to do of any World Cup city to build up its infrastructure, and many guests arrived uncertain of how the sole Midwest host would stack up.
“Last night we arrived, and then we thought that Dallas and Houston was a little bit nicer,” Netherlands fan and resident Denis Coppens told the WWI Museum and Memorial.
But after some time in the city and a quick trip to the Arabia Steamboat Museum in the River Market, Coppens came around: “This is above expectations.”
At the FIFA Fan Festival, the largest gathering point for fans outside of matches, each game shone a light on the countries and their local immigrant communities.
Ali Hamza was one of the few Tunisia fans at the Netherlands Oranje Fan Walk in Kansas City. The night before, he had attended the Fan Festival for Mexico’s game against the Czech Republic, where a mariachi band greeted guests at the entrance.
“ I was lucky last night to watch the Mexico team play, and the Mexicans have been celebrating last night, like, amazing,” said Hamza. “And so I got the chance to experience that part of their culture.”
Hamza wasn’t the only fan who said that winning the match actually came second to enjoying the spirit of the tournament.
“ I don't think that we're gonna be winning today. And it's OK,” Hamza said. “I'm not here to chase glory. I'm here to support my country and have fun with people and meet new people and enjoy the World Cup.”
Even for those who live in Kansas City, the tournament provided a window into sports culture abroad.
“ I feel like (I'm) in my home — because I’m from Honduras and these kinds of things are very common,” Emily Olsen, a Kansas City resident, told the WWI Museum and Memorial. “It's more ordered and more beautiful, but I feel at home. I love it.”
Arguably more than any location in the Kansas City area, the city of Lawrence, Kansas, completely adopted its role as team Algeria’s home base. The college town transformed itself, with businesses and residents studying Arabic and preparing Algerian food for their guests.
The efforts did not go unnoticed.
“You welcomed our team, Algeria, our people too. It's amazing, we can't thank you enough,” said Benali Habbas, who traveled to Lawrence with his brother. “You are part of the family now.”
“ We are so, so grateful for Lawrence people, and Kansas, of course. And, overall, the USA,” said Hannafi Habbas.
