KSHB 41 reporter Grant Stephens covers downtown Kansas City, Missouri. He also focuses on stories of consumer interest. Share your story idea with Grant.
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Argentina fans who traveled to Kansas City for the World Cup didn't all check into hotels. Some parked camper vans, pitched tents, and made RV sites in Jackson County Campgrounds their home for the week just minutes from the stadium.
For these fans, the choice was as much about community as it was about the game. They brought their flags, their music, and their cooking traditions to share with the campers they met.
Andre, a camper from Miami, described the energy of the experience.
"A lot of emotion," Andre said. "It's worth it. It's all worth it.”
Fellow Miami camper Marcelo Maldonado said the group atmosphere was the draw.
"Long nights, early mornings, barely sleeping," Maldonado said.
Tents, camper vans, and RVs filled the sites.
Marina Miotto, a camper from California, described the sense of community she found at the campground.
"We came here and we found more Argentine flag that says, oh, we are surrounded by more Argentines," Miotto said.
Hector Nunez, who traveled from Toronto, said the campground brought fans together from across the world.
"I travel all the way from Toronto, people guys come from Argentina, Mexico, everywhere, but once we're there, we're all one family," Nunez said.
Tito Plumero, an Argentinian from Miami, said camping made things possible that a hotel simply couldn't.
"Camping is better for friends. You know, we are a lot of people right here. This is what we can't do in a hotel room, we can't cook in a hotel room," Plumero said.
Nunez said grilling together was a central part of the experience - even in the early morning hours.
"The grilling, we love to grill. I got it back last night at like two in the morning from the stadium. I put a piece of wood on the grill, and I started cooking some choripán at about three in the morning," Nunez said.
For Nunez, the trip also carried a deeply personal meaning.
"I lost my brother a couple years ago. He was a big fan that got me here as a kid. He showed me what soccer was, as we call football. He showed me what it was. I lost him a couple years ago. I brought his picture with me to the stadium yesterday, and I shared that moment with him," Nunez said.
For these campers, this was the only way to experience a World Cup. Maldonado put it simply.
"We'd rather do all of this instead of, you know, staying in a hotel," he said.
Gustavo Grassini, a camper from California, said the campground offered something a hotel never could.
"We just want to feel the real World Cup. If you go to the hotel, it's nice, but this is going to be the real thing, because you meet so many people," Grassini said.
Around 20 of the campers are now on their way to Dallas to see the next match.
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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