KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business, including FIFA World Cup 26, and eastern Jackson County. Share your story idea with Tod.
—
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.
RELATED | Contraction to ‘Soccer Capital,’ KC’s soccer culture took decades to build
RELATED | World Cup-worthy: SKC players believe KC’s soccer culture will shine
RELATED | KC represents 'perfect story of the growth of soccer in this country'
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 sixth game that will be staged in KC:
QUARTERFINAL MATCH
Time/Date: 8 p.m., July 11
ANALYSIS
It gets quite convoluted to try and project who might reach this game, because it will depend on where teams finish during the group stage.
Plus, there will be two knockout rounds — the rounds of 32 and 16 — before the quarterfinal round, which will cull the field before the final game in Kansas City, leaving lots of permutations possibilities.
The most tantalizing one — Argentina and Messi versus Ronaldo and Portugal — is also the most straightforward.
Messi and Ronaldo are currently tied for the most appearances at a World Cup, having played in five each.
They are poised to become the only men to appear in six World Cups. Messi already owns the record for the most World Cup match appearances (26), with Ronaldo close behind (22).
Argentina, which opens its World Cup title defense on June 16 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, will be heavily favored to win Group J — which also includes Algeria, Austria and Jordan.
La Albiceleste is ranked second in the world behind only Spain, while no other team in the group is ranked higher than 24th (Austria).
Algeria, who play twice in Kansas City, are ranked 28th, but it’s clearly Argentina’s group to lose.
Meanwhile, sixth-ranked Portugal will be the prohibitive favorites in Group K — which includes Colombia, Uzbekistan and one of the Intercontinental Playoff winners*.
* The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the favorite in that playoff, but Jamaica and New Caledonia will be eager to pull an upset and make the field when the matches are played in late March.
Defensive-minded Colombia is ranked 14th and finished second to Argentina in CONMEBOL, or South American, qualifying, making them a strong candidate to pull an upset.
Kansas City soccer fans will want to pay particular attention to the June 27 clash between Portugal and Colombia in the third round of group play, which almost certainly will decide who is Arrowhead-bound.
If Argentina and Portugal finish atop their groups as expected, both would still need to win two games in the knockout round to reach the quarterfinals.
That includes a Round of 32 clash in Kansas City for Portugal.
As I said, lots of moving parts, but it’s entirely possible — perhaps even likely — that Messi’s side and Ronaldo’s squad will clash at Arrowhead with a semifinal berth at stake.
It’s a dream scenario.
Messi pulled ahead in the GOAT, or greatest of all time, debate when Argentina won the World Cup four years ago, but La Albiceleste has never played Ronaldo’s Portuguese national team at a World Cup.
It would be one of the most-anticipated games in world soccer history if it happens, and that’s no exaggeration.
If a Messi-versus-Ronaldo clash in the World Cup quarterfinal materializes, Kansas City residents unfamiliar with soccer will get an absurd crash course in the insanity of global fandom, because everybody will want to be at that game.
The two stars have clashed 37 times, mostly when Messi played for FC Barcelona and Ronaldo was at Real Madrid in Spain's La Liga.
Messi's teams lead the all-time series with 17 wins, while Ronaldo's teams have won 11 times with nine draws.
Both players have scored 23 goals in head-to-head meetings, though Messi also has 12 assists in those clashes compared to one for Ronaldo.
The pair have only met twice with their respective national teams and never in competitive play, splitting a pair of friendlies in 2011 and 2014.
No teams from Groups A or C can make the quarterfinal in Kansas City, but teams from every other group are a possibility.
Those possibilities include the Group B, J or K winners; the Groups D, G or H runners-up; and the Groups D, E, F, G, I, J or L third-place teams.
FULL SCHEDULE OF MATCHES IN KC
For more on all the matches that will be staged at Arrowhead, follow the links below for a deeper dive:
GROUP STAGE GAMES
June 16 — Group J: Argentina vs. Algeria
June 20 — Group E: Ecuador vs. Curaçao
June 25 — Group F: Tunisia vs. Netherlands
June 27 — Group J: Algeria vs. Austria
KNOCKOUT STAGE GAMES
July 3 — Round of 32
July 11 — Quarterfinal
—