KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business, including FIFA World Cup 26, and eastern Jackson County. Share your story idea with Tod.
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Kansas City will host six FIFA World Cup 26 games in June and July at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
That’s tied with Philadelphia, Santa Clara, California, and Seattle for the fewest among any of the tournament’s 11 U.S. venues, but Kansas City lucked out in terms of quality contests, star power and storylines.
Argentina, the reigning World Cup champions led by legendary attacking midfielder Lionel Messi, will play at least one game at Arrowhead along with the Netherlands, who are ranked seventh in the FIFA Men’s World Ranking.
If Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal win their group, they’re in line for at least one game in Kansas City as well, giving the BBQ Capital of America and the Soccer Capital of America immense star power from its allotment of games.
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The region could get even luckier on the base camp front with Argentina, the Netherlands, England and Algeria, which plays two group stage matches at Arrowhead, among the front-runners to spend up to a month before the tournament in Kansas City.
Here’s more on the first game that will be staged in KC:
GROUP J — ARGENTINA VS ALGERIA
TIME/DATE: 8 p.m., June 16
GET TO KNOW ARGENTINA
FIFA World Ranking: No. 2
World Cup appearances: 19th
Best World Cup finish: Three-time champions (1978, 1986, 2022)
Best nickname: La Albiceleste
Head coach (Appointed, W-D-L w/ national team): Lionel Scaloni (2018, 65-18-9)
Biggest star: Lionel Messi
Messi, who will turn 39 during this summer’s World Cup, is arguably the greatest soccer player in the world and is widely considered by many as the greatest of all time, so it’s massive that Kansas City landed a match involving reigning champion Argentina.
The tourney surely will be his final World Cup.
He owns global soccer records for the most goals scored for club and country in a calendar year (91), most goals and assists with a single club (672 G/269 A with Barcelona), assists in international play (61) and a million other things, including most Ballon d’Or trophies.
Messi’s teams have won everything, including his 47th team trophy when Inter Miami lifted the MLS Cup in December 2025. The GOAT had two assists in the Herons’ 3-1 win against Vancouver FC.
Messi, who rose to international prominence with a La Liga record 474 goals across 520 league appearances for Barcelona from 2004-21, is tied for fourth place all-time with 13 goals in World Cup play.
He also has eight career World Cup assists, giving him a record 21 goal contributions in World Cup play.
Messi will be playing in his sixth World Cup, which would break the all-time record — a feat his primary rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, also will achieve at FIFA World Cup 26.
Population (world rank): 46,994,384 (34th)
Total area (world rank): 1,073,518 square miles (eighth)
Gross national income, per capita (world rank): $13,440 (79th)
More about Argentina: The Spanish-speaking country is South America’s second-largest, with its southern tip closer to Antarctica than any other country.
It’s one of nine countries on the planet that’s 1 million square miles or more in area.
Within its borders are the highest (Mount Aconcagua) and lowest points (Laguna del Carbón) in the entirety of the Americas, while the cowboys of Argentina’s famed Pampas, known as gauchos, are entrenched in the country’s folklore.
During the late 19th century, the tango originated in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, where the late Pope Francis, who died in April 2025, was born.
GET TO KNOW ALGERIA
FIFA World Ranking: No. 34
World Cup appearances: Fifth
Best World Cup finish: Round of 16 (2014)
Best nickname: The Desert Foxes (or The Fennecs)
Head coach (Appointed, W-D-L w/ national team): Vladimir Petković (2024, 22-8-2)
Biggest star: Riyad Mahrez
Mahrez, a right winger, is the Desert Foxes’ talisman. He moved to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli in 2023 after a sterling nine-season run in the English Premier League.
After cutting his teeth with smaller French sides, Mahrez joined Leicester City, where he helped The Foxes — yes, apparently foxes are his thing — stun the world by winning the 2015-16 EPL title.
Mahrez scored 42 goals with 32 assists in 158 league appearances with Leicester before moving to Manchester City for a then-record transfer fee for an African player.
He delivered for Pep Guardiola’s squad, scoring 43 goals with 34 assists in 145 league appearances during the next five seasons, becoming the first African player to win the English domestic treble when Man City won the Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup in 2018-19.
During his final season before moving to Saudi Arabia, Mahrez helped Man City win the rare continental treble as champions of the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League in 2022-23.
In other words, he’s a stud.
Population (world rank): 47,022,473 (33rd)
Total area (world rank): 919,595 square miles (10th)
Gross national income, per capita (world rank): $5,320 (125th)
More about Algeria: Located in northwest Africa, Algeria became the largest country in Africa in 2011 when Sudan split into two countries.
But the Sahara, the world’s largest subtropical desert, covers 90% of Algeria, which was once part of the Ottoman Empire and a French colony.
During the French occupation, which ended in 1962, the Méhariste, or camel cavalry, was created to police the Saharan desert as part of the colonial military.
Couscous originated in the majority Islamic nation that's home to the adorable Fennec fox, known for its delicious dates and renowned as the birthplace of Raï music.
Gasoline is cheaper than water in Algeria because of massive subsidies for government-produced petrol.
ANALYSIS
It’s a mismatch on paper, but so was the Desert Foxes’ 1982 World Cup opener against the then-reigning European champions, West Germany.
Algeria prevailed 2-1 in one of the biggest upsets in the tourney’s history.
When West Germany and Austria staged a farcical match later in the group stage, derisively dubbed the “Disgrace of Gijon,” neither side gave much effort after an early goal for West Germany set the stage for both teams to advance.
FIFA subsequently changed its rules to ensure the final games in the group stage are played simultaneously to prevent such manipulation and unsporting play.
That won’t be an issue in the first game of the group stage with Argentina eager to serve notice that it's primed to defend its hard-won 2022 World Cup trophy.
It’s easy to fixate on Messi — who led CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying with eight goals and almost certainly will make La Albiceleste’s World Cup roster, barring injury — but he’s not the only reason Argentina is among the favorites again.
Messi will be joined by other global stars like Julián Alvarez (Atlético Madrid), Lautaro Martinez (Internazionale) and Franco Mastantuono (Real Madrid) up top with Thiago Almada (Atlético Madrid), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool) and Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul through the midfield in front of Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica) and Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur) along the back line.
They will be heavy favorites in Group J, but Riyad and Mohamed Amoura, a fellow forward for Germany’s VfL Wolfsburg, make for a formidable strike partnership.
Amoura led Algeria with 10 goals during World Cup qualifying.
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Sources: Countries by Area — CIA; Countries by Population — CIA; GNI per capita, Atlas method — World Bank