Kansas City

Curaçao, the smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup, got to celebrate its very first tournament point this weekend after a 0-0 draw at Arrowhead Stadium. Although most of the 68,598-person crowd was cheering for Ecuador, isn't rooting for underdogs the Kansas City way?

With the World Cup underway in Kansas City, Oliver Wright — who makes videos on TikTok as @SideQuestDad — has become a local celebrity talking about soccer and living in the Midwest as a Brit. In particular, he’s been teaching visitors how to beat the oppressive summer heat.

Kansas City has welcomed thousands of visitors as the metro enters its second week of the World Cup. But as international crowds come in, many local shop owners feel they're taking a backseat. Some small businesses say the economic boost is not evenly distributed.

The SpraySeeMO mural festival is marking the World Cup with seven large-scale painting projects in the West Bottoms, which is undergoing a more than $500 million redevelopment.

Those big orange cans at FIFA Fan Festival? A Kansas City nonprofit put them there to help deal with organic waste from the massive sporting event.

Ecuador was the heavy favorite but Curaçao's goalie, Eloy Room, artfully blocked 15 of Ecuador's shots on goal. The game ended 0-0. Fans at an Ecuadorian watch party said they're proud of their team despite the draw.

With the World Cup in town, Kansas City is showing off all that it has to offer this summer. Here are the can't-miss events, including Juneteenth, Pride and other annual festivities like the Ethnic Enrichment Festival.

Made Mobb released more than a dozen World Cup-inspired jerseys — with a blue-and-white Argentina-style kit sparking special attention from local fans. The jerseys can be purchased online, at their Crossroads store and Union Station popup.

Projects like the Royals’ proposed ballpark at Crown Center and the Current’s riverfront stadium expansion could receive additional city and state funding through the MODESA program.

En uno de los partidos más esperados de la Copa Mundial, la vigente campeona Argentina derrotó 3-0 a Argelia con un triplete de Lionel Messi. El primer encuentro disputado en Kansas City también tuvo un toque local: ambas selecciones eligieron la región como sede de sus campamentos base y, en el camino, sumaron numerosos seguidores locales.

“Rock Chalk Algeria” has turned into the World Cup's most unusual, amazing rallying cry. Even though the Algerian national team lost 0-3 on Tuesday against powerhouse Argentina, they've already won hearts around Kansas City. Unfortunately, traffic woes meant that some fans didn't get to the stadium in time for kickoff.

One of the most anticipated games of the World Cup, returning champions Argentina defeated Algeria 3-0 with a Lionel Messi hat trick. The first match held in Kansas City, it was also a hometown battle: Both teams chose the region for their base camps, accumulating many local fans along the way.