KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The defending World Cup champions, Argentina, arrived in Kansas City on Sunday to kick off their title defense, which begins with a game against Algeria on June 16 at Arrowhead Stadium, the home ground of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs.
The team’s charter flight from Ezeiza International Airport lasted 11 hours and covered over 5,500 miles, landing in Missouri shortly after 11 a.m. local time. The flight, Aerolineas Argentinas 1978, was a tribute to the World Cup Argentina hosted and won in 1978 against the Netherlands in front of more than 71,000 fans at River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires.
Argentina is the first of four national teams to set up their World Cup base in the Kansas City area. The Netherlands, England, and Algeria, who will be training at the University of Kansas in nearby Lawrence, are expected to arrive this week.
While most of the Argentina squad traveled on the charter flight, some players will be arriving separately from clubs worldwide. Upon disembarking, players and staff made their way across the tarmac to waiting buses before heading to their team hotel.
The team will be residing at the Origin Hotel in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Security measures include installed fencing around the property, and inside the hotel, they are welcomed with various signs and displays celebrating La Albiceleste, including large images of some of the team’s star players on the building’s exterior.
The team planned to spend their first day engaging in light training at the hotel gym while waiting for additional players to join them. Argentina’s first full training session is scheduled for Monday at the Compass Minerals National Performance Center, home of the MLS team Sporting Kansas City.
Argentina will also face Honduras in a friendly on Saturday at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, home of Texas A&M. Their last warm-up match is set for three days later against Iceland at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Alabama, the home of Auburn University.
Argentina’s coach, Lionel Scaloni, announced a 26-man World Cup roster on Thursday, featuring Messi, who will turn 39 in less than a month. The roster includes 17 players who were part of the squad that triumphed four years ago against France in the final in Qatar.
Despite a few injury concerns among players ahead of the June 1 deadline for finalizing World Cup squads—including Messi, who is dealing with muscle fatigue and a mild left hamstring strain—the club stated his recovery timeline will depend on “his clinical and functional progress.” Messi will be participating in his sixth World Cup, previously featuring in tournaments in Germany, South Africa, Brazil, Russia, and Qatar.
Messi’s longtime rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, is also poised to participate in his sixth World Cup with Portugal this summer.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.