Kansas City was one of the bigger surprises when FIFA announced its World Cup host cities, chosen over Chicago, Washington D.C., Phoenix, Denver and others. However, after getting the privilege to attend a match in Kansas City Stadium (traditionally known as Arrowhead Stadium), I understand why they picked it. This Midwestern city may just be the soccer capital of America.
The Dutch showed out before the match even started. In what looked like a Super Bowl parade, Oranje fans marched passionately through the streets of downtown Kansas City. They carried this energy into the match, and it was noticeable. After the Netherlands scored their first goal, I noticed everyone singing along in unison to a song. I had no idea what it was, but it was catchy and fun. After some research, I found this song was “Wij houden van Oranje” (We Love Orange). In the stadium known for the Tomahawk Chop, this felt just as exciting and unifying. And honestly, it made me wish Americans had something like that. Something to sing together when the moment calls for it. Tunisia had their own moment as well. Following their score, the roar and chants from their fans was its own kind of loud. Different from the Dutch, but just as real.
The crowds had real investment. It wasn’t a stadium full of drunk fans with $20 bets on the game; rather, it was a stadium full of fans who were passionately supporting their nation. It is hard to explain if you haven’t felt it.
I have attended six games in Arrowhead Stadium, five Chiefs games and one Sporting KC match in 2024. I can confidently say this was the most unique of any of them. However, the experience and logistics differ in ways you may never imagine. For starters, our experience walking into the stadium was much different. Unlike Chiefs games, which utilize the 10+ parking lots surrounding the stadium, these matches had most of those fenced off to the public, repurposed for shuttles, fan areas and security. We parked a half mile east and walked in without any trouble. Walking with a sea of orange, I was surprised to see a security checkpoint so far out from the normal stadium gates. However, this made things super easy. Instead of a bottleneck through security at the stadium gates, the massive airport-style gates helped us get through quickly. Then, this helped us to get into the stadium without any hassle thanks to no security at the stadium gates. Inside the concourse, despite a lack of familiar branding, the food scene still delivered.
It may be a bold take, but Thursday was the loudest I’ve heard that stadium at its peaks. The collective roar immediately after the Dutch goals was shocking. Chiefs games are consistently louder; they capitalize on deafening the opponents on third down, making it hard for the offense to work. But the peak that was a Dutch goal is louder than a Chiefs touchdown. Beyond that, it was just a different type of loud. It wasn’t a forced loud, but more of a feeling.
Obviously, it’s the World Cup… the soccer is going to be world-class. But you really have to see it to understand it. The Dutch display of team soccer was phenomenal. The cohesion and precision in the attacks were a sight to see. Individual talent was also of top class. This includes Memphis Depay, who narrowly swung and missed a bicycle kick that would have possibly been the goal of the tournament. Besides the Netherlands, Tunisia played much better than expected. For a team that lost its first two group stage games 5-1, they certainly made this one entertaining for a majority of the match.
The World Cup plays host to cultures and people from all around the world. This was so apparent in the stadium. It felt as if you took a walk around the concourse, you would see multiple people from every habitable continent on earth. The city seemed very ready to host such a large event. The new shuttle system brought in thousands of fans; the advertising, even down to the miniature soccer balls we received in the hotel, the entire metropolitan area understood the importance of the event, and it felt special. I knew Kansas City could host the best team in the NFL, but it also proved it could be a successful international host too.
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