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England announced on Wednesday its national team is making its home in Kansas City for the World Cup at the Swope Soccer Village.
This marks just the beginning of excitement for football fans across the metro.
From the pitch to local watch parties, the energy is building among fans who frequent the Swope Soccer Village facility.
Carrie Duffy, a soccer fan and parent, expressed her enthusiasm about the announcement.
"We're excited, we're excited for all of it" Duffy said. "We're excited for all the teams that are coming. We're down here four or five times a week for practices, we know this facility well, and to think this big time team is coming, it's super exciting."
The proximity of world-class talent feels almost unreal to local supporters.
"They seem so unreachable, the fact they're going to be here playing in our city, just the fact that we have all these big time teams, it's amazing," Duffy said. "It just brings such big energy to have these countries here that we think we have soccer fans and you see other countries of how big and exciting it is, that's really cool."
At Friction Beer Co. in Shawnee, an official England watch party bar, the energy is already building.
Chris Thomas, who moved to the United States 18 years ago from England, shared his enthusiasm when asked if they're rowdy fans.
"Yes, we are rowdy, but we bring everybody with us," Thomas said. "It's going to be one big party."
The surreal nature of having his home country's team so close isn't lost on Thomas.
"It's quite frankly surreal. I moved 6,000 miles away from home 18 years ago and the fact that my forever home, if you will, is gonna be five miles away from where they're setting up shop is just crazy," Thomas said.
Thomas operates Brit Boy Street Food, serving British bites in locations across the metro.
The Kansas resident and Yorkshire, England, native remains loyal to St. George's Cross, pointing to England's single World Cup star on his jersey.
"We have one star, so there's plenty of space for another one," Thomas said.
His food is made in a Kansas City area kitchen, frozen and delivered to patrons who ordered it online and picked up at a location in a local business.
His goal is to drive foot traffic into businesses and offer dishes from his home country.
"For those people living locally that want English-style food, while watching England play, we're the perfect place to do so, as long as they get their order ahead of time," Thomas said. "They'll be able to watch England play while eating my food, it's pretty cool."
Thomas compared the anticipated atmosphere to other major Kansas City sporting events.
"Imagine, I guess, a Chiefs playoff game, every Saturday," Thomas said.
It's a platform he hopes to share with Kansas City area locals during the World Cup — showing his allegiance to the club and the country.
"Where I come from, the team you follow, there's no changing teams or changing alliances, you were born into it," Thomas said.
British fans are hopping the pond for the World Cup at their "flat" in Swope Park, bringing significant benefits to the region and inspiring local youth players.
Darrick Lewis, a soccer fan and parent, noted the positive impact extends beyond tourism.
"It's good for Kansas City, it's good exposure," Lewis said. "With me being a soccer parent, it's exciting to see the world being excited and Kansas City being spotlighted by that. It could be a dream realized for him, a lot of those kids came from academies, and he plays for a Kansas City academy, and so hopefully that can be him in a couple years."
It's a platform he hopes to share with Kansas City area locals during the World Cup — showing his allegiance to the club and the country.
"Where I come from, the team you follow, there's no changing teams or changing alliances, you were born into it," Thomas said.
Jake Reid, president and CEO of Sporting KC, highlighted Kansas City's strategic advantages for hosting international teams during a press conference last week.
"Facilities make a huge difference," Reid said. "Center of the country makes a huge difference, so regardless of where they're going to be for the rest of the tournament, it's an easy flight to get there versus if you're on the coast," Reid said.
Thomas sees additional advantages in Kansas City's central location and climate preparation opportunities.
"Kansas City is a lot hotter than England, especially in the summertime, the fact that they're living here before the time and during, they'll definitely be able to get acclimatized to it. So the heat shouldn't be as big of a problem as it's been in the past," Thomas said.
His childhood friend, Sam Bannister, views the location as beneficial for fans, especially given England's optimistic tournament outlook.
"They're playing the long game, so yes, they got three games in Dallas and the east coast, but after that they've got more games, because they're going all the way," Thomas said.
Although England has no group stage matches in Kansas City, the proximity offers advantages for traveling supporters.
"To travel to a game, it's not that far," Bannister said. "We can be in Dallas in eight hours, it's a short hop across the states. To feel close to the superstars from England, the Harry Kae's, and Jude Bellingham's, it's exciting to maybe be able to see them play."
The club's proximity is enough to generate excitement among local fans with the communal atmosphere of watch parties adding to the appeal.
"If you've got three or four comrades of the same team that atmosphere creates itself and all the sudden you have a friend sitting next to you. You have a beer, share a bite to eat, and hopefully share a win," Bannister said.
Thomas encourages Kansas City residents to embrace the international visitors and the overall cultural diversity.
"I just advise all the locals to embrace it, a lot of people have never traveled outside the United States, embrace these people coming to your country and showing them what it's all about," Thomas said. "Hopefully here in Kansas, they experience that Midwest hospitality."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
