KC 2026 responds after fans experience delays at FIFA Club World Cup match

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Kansas City FIFA World Cup 2026 group is looking to avoid a repeat of Tuesday's long lines and delays as thousands of fans prepare to attend Saturday's match between Ecuador and Curaçao.

Many fans took to social media after Tuesday's match to complain about hours-long traffic delays, parking issues and difficulties reaching the stadium before the match. Fans are calling it the "Messi effect."

Global soccer superstar Lionel Messi drew massive crowds to Kansas City for Tuesday's match between Argentina and Algeria.

According to a KC 2026 spokesperson, transportation systems successfully moved fans throughout the region and to the stadium area. However, the biggest challenge came once fans arrived.

"We recognize that some fans experienced significant delays entering the stadium complex and understand the frustration that created," the spokesperson said in an email to ABC 17 News.

The spokesperson said delays at the stadium gates caused backups for fans, no matter how they traveled to the venue.

Typically, fans attending Kansas City Chiefs games can enter Arrowhead Stadium through eight different gates. For Tuesday's FIFA Club World Cup match, only two gates were open for thousands of fans entering the stadium. KC 2026 said FIFA controls stadium entry operations and has provided recommendations to improve the process before Saturday's match.

City leaders spent months preparing for the tournament, adding shuttle services and expanding public transit options to help move fans around the city.

At the beginning of the month, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas was encouraging people across Missouri to come experience the FIFA Club World Cup.

"If you come to Kansas City, you will find a good way to get around on transit. There's the free streetcar system, there's a fairly free bus system we have going around," Lucas said before the World Cup kicked off in the city.

Despite those efforts, many fans told ABC 17 News on Tuesday they chose to drive or use rideshare services instead. Ecuador vs Curaçao is set for 7 p.m. Saturday.