KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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Fans who traveled from across the globe to catch a World Cup match in Kansas City had to brave a rainstorm and long lines at ConnectKC26 bus stops before they ever made it through the gates.
FIFA Fan Fest closed due to weather Thursday afternoon, and fans from the event began getting in line at the Bus Mall near the Liberty Memorial.
Organizers put out a notice that weather could delay or pause bus routes, sending lines snaking through Crown Center.
For families with kids, the wait felt endless.
"No buses are coming," a group of kids said.
Alfred Alsreddriessen, visiting from the Netherlands, said he had been waiting 45 minutes when KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa spoke with him.
"The weather is not the issue, it's no buses driving. I don't know why but they're not driving," Alsreddriessen said.
He kept perspective, though, just happy to be in Kansas City supporting his team.
"It's taking a long time, but it's part of the tournament and the experience, so I don't complain," Alsreddriessen added.
Selim Nemsi, a Tunisia fan from Atlanta, Georgia, said the rain complicated what had already been an expensive trip.
"Hopefully we make it on time. I'm fine with the wait as long as it's guaranteed we make it into the stadium on time," Nemsi said.
Johnny Freeston traveled from Boulder, Colorado, and had booked his time slot months in advance. The earliest slot available to him was 4:30 p.m. — just 90 minutes before kickoff.
"I booked a long time ago, and I tried to book earlier and the only time slot I could get was 4:30 p.m., and the game was kicking off at 6 p.m.," Freeston said.
Standing in what he described as a massive line with no clear end in sight, he stayed stayed optimistic.
"Yeah it's a challenge but we're football mats, so we'll get on with it," Freeston said.
Gamboa stayed in contact with Freeston by phone as he made his way to the bus.
At 4:35 p.m. — just five minutes after his scheduled trip — he snapped a photo with his son at the bus stop.
He shared more photos along the drive, and he arrived at Kansas City Stadium just before 5:30 p.m.
"Hey, we made it in, 5:30 p.m. Go Netherlands!" Freeston said in a video he sent to Gamboa.
At around 6:00 p.m., Gamboa stopped by the Park & Ride and spoke with fans before kickoff.
There were buses coming in and lining up to transport fans back to their original bus stop. Fans trickling in at kickoff were arriving late because they took the last bus and the motor coaches were not full.
No one KSHB 41 News spoke with reported being late because of the weather or the long lines.
For Freeston, the hassle was worth every minute with his family.
"It's the World Cup, I never thought I'd see a second one in my lifetime in the United States," Freeston 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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