KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
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After Kansas City’s FIFA Fan Fest closed early due to weather Thursday afternoon, a sea of orange flooded the nearby ConnectKC26 shuttle lot with fans hoping to make their way to the Netherlands vs. Tunisia match at Kansas City Stadium.
Thursday afternoon, KC2026 said weather may cause delays for its transportation services to Kansas City Stadium.
A line snaking through gates at the shuttle lot poured out onto East 27th Street, down Grand Boulevard and over to Main Street.
One fan from the Netherlands said he waited in line for two hours, mostly in the rain.
“But we do this for our country, for the national team, it’s a great team. It’s great to be here in the United States,” the Netherlands fan said.
On Wednesday, KC2026 emphasized the importance of fans arriving at shuttle lots for the time slot they purchased.
“We had a 3:30 p.m. time slot,” one fan said. “Sure, think come at 3:30 p.m. and we get a 3:30 p.m. bus, we might have to wait 5 to 10 minutes, but I guess time slots mean nothing now, nothing I tell you.”
Just after 4 p.m. Thursday, the line began moving and most of the fans who had been waiting were on shuttles by 5 p.m.
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