With the Major League Soccer season paused until July 16 -- when Sporting Kansas City visits rivals St. Louis CITY SC -- FIFA World Cup 26 will kick off this Thursday with the first of 104 matches across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
FIFA World Cup 26 will be played from June 11 to July 19 with six matches taking place at Kansas City Stadium on June 16 (Argentina-Algeria), June 20 (Ecuador-Curacao), June 25 (Tunisia-Netherlands), June 27 (Algeria-Austria), July 3 (Round of 32) and July 11 (Quarterfinal). In addition, four countries (Algeria, Argentina, England and Netherlands) have selected the region for their team base camp and both soccer-specific stadiums in KC will be utilized as venue-specific training sites for national teams in the tournament.
Sporting Kansas City co-owner Cliff Illig is co-chair of the KC2026 Board of Directors, while Sporting Kansas City President and CEO Jake Reid serves as Vice President. Sporting Kansas City was announced by KC2026 as an official Host City Supporter and the club will activate at FIFA Fan Festival at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in addition to hosting Soccer Capital Summer at Sporting Park.
JUSTIN REYNOLDS & U.S. U21'S PLAY UZBEKISTAN TODAY
Justin Reynolds has joined the U.S. Under-21 Men's National Team for a training camp in Slovenia. Reynolds was a second-half substitute in the United States' 3-1 win over Ukraine on Friday and the U.S. will now play Uzbekistan at 11 a.m. CT today at Nogometno igrisce Stadium.
SPORTING KC II VISIT MNUFC2 TONIGHT
Sporting Kansas City II will continue the MLS NEXT Pro campaign on the road at MNUFC2 at 7 p.m. CT tonight at National Sports Center Stadium in Blaine, Minn. Fans can stream the Frontier Division match-up live on MLSNEXTPro.com or follow @SportingKCII on X for updates.
SPORTING ADULT LEAGUE REGISTRATION DEADLINE ON TUESDAY
Tuesday is the registration deadline for the summer season of Sporting Adult League, which will begin next week at Central Bank Sporting Complex and Compass Minerals Sporting Fields. Adults over the age of 18 can register in the open, co-ed and over 30 divisions with the season featuring eight games of 8v8 action.
KASHAN HINES & U.S. U17'S PLAY BRAZIL ON WEDNESDAY
SKC Academy forward Kashan Hines has joined the U.S. Under-17 Men's National Team. Hines was a second-half substitute in the United States' 4-0 loss to Brazil on Sunday and the two teams will meet again at 6 p.m. CT on Wednesday at Arena das Dunas in Natal.
FREE SHIPPING OFFER AT MLSSTORE.COM ENDS WEDNESDAY
Fans can take advantage of free shipping on orders over $29 at MLSstore.com until 10:59 p.m. CT on Wednesday with the code MLS29 (terms and exclusions apply), including hundreds of Sporting Kansas City items in youth, men's and women's sizes including the new Americana pre-match jersey.
FIFA FAN FESTIVAL OPENS THURSDAY IN KANSAS CITY
The FIFA Fan Festival at the National World War I Museum and Memorial will open at 1 p.m. CT on Thursday. Fans can reserve free general admission passes -- or purchase passes for the premium garden and legacy lounge -- to access the festival, which will feature live match screenings, entertainment, a FIFA store, host city supporter campus activations, interactive experiences, food/drink options and more. Sporting KC will offer a free youth soccer clinic from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sunday at FIFA Fan Festival with registration on site.
AWAY TICKET REQUESTS OPEN FRIDAY FOR LAFCvSKC IN JULY
Sporting Kansas City Season Ticket Members and members of Sporting KC supporters groups are eligible to receive complimentary tickets for Sporting away matches. Away ticket requests for Sporting's upcoming road trip to play LAFC on July 25 at BMO Stadium will open this Friday.
SPORTING STYLE POP UP AT CENTRAL BANK ON FRIDAY
Central Bank, which has launched a limited-edition Soccer Capital of America® debit card, is teaming up with Sporting Style for pop-up shops inside 11 different branches, including the Lawrence (4340 W. 6th St.) branch on Friday, for fans to browse exclusive Soccer Capital of America® merchandise from jerseys and hats to scarves and collectibles. Visit SoccerCapitalKC.com for upcoming pop-up dates and locations.
KICKOFF TO THE CUP AT PRICE CHOPPER ON SATURDAY
Sporting KC and Price Chopper will continue "Kickoff to the Cup" -- a series of neighborhood World Cup celebrations across the Kansas City metro -- from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday at the Price Chopper (19601 W. 101st St.) in Lenexa, Kansas. The free, family-friendly event will feature food and beverage sampling, giveaways, music and interactive entertainment.
ESPINOZA & ZUSI TO THROW ROYALS FIRST PITCH ON SATURDAY
World Cup veterans Roger Espinoza and Graham Zusi will team up for the first pitch at Kauffman Stadium at 6 p.m CT on Saturday before the Royals take on the Houston Astros. Tickets are available at Royals.com and the first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a Double Header Royal-Tee featuring a Royals design in front of a soccer ball backdrop.
