Netherlands, Argentina and Austria to play in Kansas City for 2026 FIFA World Cup
Cameron Montemayor
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Kansas City and Arrowhead Stadium will feature several soccer powerhouses in the 2026 FIFA World Cup after officials unveiled the field of teams this weekend.
The FIFA World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., divided a record 48 teams into 12 groups of four on Friday, including which teams are set to play in Kansas City, which will host six matchups, including a knockout stage and quarterfinal matchup.
The following groups will play a match in Kansas City during the Group Stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including defending World Cup champion Argentina and Lionel Messi, widely regarded as the greatest player of this generation.
Kansas City games will occur as follows:
Tuesday, June 16 at 8 p.m. — Argentina vs. Algeria
Saturday, June 20 at 7 p.m. — Ecuador vs. Curacao
Thursday, June 25 at 6 p.m. — Tunisia vs. Netherlands
Saturday, June 27 at 9 p.m. — Algeria vs. Austria
Round of 32: Friday, July 3, 2026
Quarterfinal: Saturday, July 11, 2026
Here’s a list of the groups from strongest to weakest, using each group’s average FIFA ranking. (For groups with placeholders, the highest-ranked possible qualifier was used.)
Group F – 23.25 (Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, UEFA Playoff B)Group D – 26 (United States, Australia, Paraguay, UEFA Playoff C)Group B – 26.75 (Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, UEFA Playoff A)Group I – 27.25 (France, Senegal, Norway, FIFA Playoff 2)Group L – 29 (England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana)Group A – 29.75 (Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, UEFA Playoff D)Group J – 31.75 (Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan)Group C – 34 (Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti)Group H – 36.25 (Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde)Group G – 37 (Belgium, Iran, Egypt, New Zealand)Group K – 37.25 (Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, FIFA Playoff 1)Group E – 39 (Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curacao)