Lionel Messi pens short goodbye to Kansas City ahead of World Cup semifinal
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Argentina left Kansas City after using it as the team’s 2026 World Cup base camp.
- Lionel Messi thanked Kansas City on Instagram, highlighting his last practice there.
- Argentina is traveling to Atlanta to face England in the semifinal on Wednesday at 2 p.m.
Argentina has left Kansas City for good in its preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals, and it has left a sky blue and white trail of memories, passion and football glory in its wake.
The defending champions made Kansas City their base camp for the tournament as the team began its quest to become back to back champions for the first time since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.
The two matches they played at Kansas City (Arrowhead) Stadium were some of the most significant moments in KC and World Cup history.
Lionel Messi scored his only World Cup hat trick against Algeria to open the tournament in Kansas City. Julián Álvarez’s remarkable goal in extra time against Switzerland in the quarterfinal pushed Argentina back to the final four of the World Cup.
Kansas City got just a small taste of the magnetic fever over Lionel Messi, the global superstar who is regarded as one of the best ever to kick a ball.
On Monday, he had just a few words in an Instagram post, thanking the city for its hospitality. Argentina had a closed practice session before the team’s departure.
“The last one in Kansas City! Thank you for everything!!,” Messi said in Spanish to his 512 million followers. In the post were four pictures of the 39-year-old and his world-renowned teammates training at Sporting Kansas City’s practice facility in KCK.
The run marked the end of Messi’s first stay as an international player in Kansas City. He’s played here twice in the past two years as a member of Inter Miami.
Argentina is traveling to Atlanta to face England in the semifinal at 2 p.m. Wednesday in a clash between the last two teams that base camped in Kansas City. It will be Messi’s first time facing the European powerhouse.
England will have one last practice session on Tuesday morning before also traveling to Atlanta.
This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 8:55 PM with the headline "Lionel Messi pens short goodbye to Kansas City ahead of World Cup semifinal."
