KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland, including Liberty. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.
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Two teams with base camps in the Kansas City area are in the FIFA World Cup 26 quarterfinals, England and Argentina.
English fans found a gathering place at a bar in Shawnee where they say they're on cloud nine.
Nathan Ryerson, owner of Friction Beer Co., has more than one reason to want England to win the World Cup.
"I need England to go all the way," Ryerson said.
He's both a fan and a business owner who has watched his bar fill with customers up throughout the tournament.
"It's been nice to have a packed house for all those matches," Ryerson said.
Friction Beer Co. has served as a watch party headquarters for area supporters of the English squad.
"The passion that the English have for their sports teams, in my opinion, is unmatched," Ryerson said.
For British expats like Chris Thomas, an England native who owns Brit Boy Street Food, the experience has felt almost too good to be true.
"Yeah," he admitted. "Yeah, it just doesn't seem real."
On Wednesday, Thomas got to watch England's practice.
"I'm just like a kid in a candy store," Thomas said.
The proximity to the national team has been a surreal experience for someone who moved far from home.
"You had to move halfway across the world to get this close to the national team," Thomas said.
Thomas also brought some of his sausages to the team.
"They probably can't eat them, but the England staff hopefully can," Thomas said. "And the big security guy was very excited about the packages of sausage rolls that we gave him when we left."
He says the entire experience has exceeded expectations.
"It didn't seem real when they chose to come to KC, and it definitely doesn't seem real now," Thomas said.
Oliver Wright, a British influencer in the Kansas City area, who goes by Side Quest Dad on Instagram, is still trying to make sense of it all.
"It's cool to know they chose here," Wright said. "Still not sure why."
Soccer has always been part of Wright's lifestyle. He wears his soccer boots everywhere he goes.
"It was always a game of just having fun," Wright said.
Like many other Brits in Kansas City, Wright says he's happy to see his two worlds colliding.
Thomas echoed that sentiment.
"I'm just grateful, you know," he said.
And for Ryerson, the moment is one that will last long after the final whistle.
"We'll remember it forever," Ryerson said.
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.
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