KSHB 41 reporter Megan Abundis covers Kansas City, Missouri, including neighborhoods in the southern part of the city. She also focuses on issues regarding scams. Share your story idea with Megan.
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Argentina fans flooded Kansas City's neighborhoods Tuesday, turning the city into a sea of light blue and white ahead of their team's first match of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
From the Country Club Plaza to the Crossroads to the Power and Light District, Messi jerseys were everywhere as fans from Buenos Aires, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Milwaukee and beyond explored the City of Fountains.
Some fans booked Airbnbs in Overland Park or hotels in North Kansas City. Others flew in from Buenos Aires the night before without a place to stay, describing their plan as simply living off vibes for 48 hours.
But all had one thing in common — tickets in hand and an unshakeable devotion to their team.
"The team is everything. Everywhere the team goes, we go," Lujan said.
"For my team, for my country, everything, everything," Julien said. "... I can lose my rent, my apartment, everything for my team. It's like a dream for me to go to the World Cup. It's my first time here. It's amazing."
"Argentines, we love soccer, we love football. Fútbol is life," Lucila said.
"So many people who share the same passion for the team, and it's great to have fans around you support the team," Ryan said.
Kansas City made a strong impression on the visitors.
"It's an amazing place, the people are so good," Julien said.
"First time in Missouri. We were very excited to come," Lucila said. "We have really close friends from Kansas. We always begged them to bring us here, and now Messi brought us... Excited for some good barbecue. People are lovely, and this area is beautiful."
"It's been great. We've enjoyed our visit," Kevin said. "Easy to get around for the most part. The KC [Power and] Light District is awesome."
"We are going to go to LEGOLAND, have barbecue at Joe's, I think. Then, we're going to go to the aquarium and then go to the game," Olympia said.
"We are liking it so far. We just grabbed a coffee," Maura and Augustine said.
A muralist from Los Angeles was commissioned to create a Messi mural on the side of Señorita Margarita at 20th and Main. He said the work is about more than just soccer.
"It's like a dream come true. Since I was a kid, I grew up idolizing soccer, fútbol. Messi, I grew up watching him," said muralist Mister Alek. "I just want them to be proud and come together. I'm a big fan, so I just want to create some type of unity amongst us."
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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