Some big names will be playing here, too, like Lionel Messi and Argentina and a star-studded Netherlands squad that should bring a big traveling fan base. While initial expectations were some 650,000 fans could travel to KC as part of the World Cup games, that number may now be bigger, representatives from KC2026 say.

The 2026 Word Cup is approaching next summer and most of the biggest soccer stars will arrive in the United States, Canada and Mexico to represent their national teams at the best tournament in the world that takes place every four years.

In the aftermath of this weekend’s full release of the 2026 World Cup schedule, matches involving Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal and the Argentina side which hope to count upon Lionel Messi saw staggering increases in ticket prices, with some quadrupling in value.

Lionel Messi has played five editions of the FIFA World Cup. Argentina will be defending champions in the upcoming 2026 edition

Messi becomes the sixth player in MLS history to win MVP and a championship in the same season. Of the previous five, only Atlanta United ’s Josef Martinez in 2018 won MVP, a title and the Golden Boot as the league’s scoring champion all in the same year, another hat trick of sorts that Messi achieved in 2025.