Figure 1 The World Cup finals are finally here – Source: Unsplash
When it comes to sports, most Iowans would probably look first to either the Cyclones or the Hawkeyes in football, basketball, or just about any other NCAA competition. There is a growing number of soccer fans in the region, however, and they will be getting very excited right now as the FIFA World Cup gets into full swing.
With 48 nations competing at what is the biggest ever World Cup finals, there will be a team for just about every Iowan to get behind, including the host country, of course. Billions of people around the world will be watching the action, with all the best betting platforms providing up-to-the-minute markets on all the games.
Although Iowa won’t be hosting any of the games itself, there are three teams based not too far away in Kansas City. Argentina, England, and the Netherlands are calling the place home for the duration of the tournament, and Arrowhead Stadium (renamed Kansas City Stadium for the tournament) is also hosting six games. For any Iowa soccer fan, this is the closest the World Cup will get to the Hawkeye State, so here is everything you need to know about the local soccer action.
Soccer fans will already be almost a week into the World Cup finals before the action moves to Arrowhead Stadium on June 16th, but the wait will be worth it for local fans. Current reigning world champion Argentina kicks off its attempt to retain the title with what looks like a particularly tough test against Algeria. Lionel Messi will be hoping to lead his team to a win that would set it up nicely for the rest of the group stage, but Algeria is no pushover, and this is sure to be a competitive game.
Next up is the debut appearance of the smallest country to ever qualify for a World Cup finals. Curaçao only has a population of just over 150,000, just a little over the number of people who live in Cedar Rapids, but the Blue Wave will be hoping to make a big impression. It will face Ecuador on June 20th in what could prove to be a crucial second group game tie. A loss for either team here could mean that its World Cup dream is effectively over.
Just five days later, Arrowhead Stadium will play host to one of the teams considered to have an outside chance of winning it all. The Netherlands have made it to three finals in the history of the competition, without winning a single championship game. Although the Oranje does not have the iconic players it used to have in the past, it will still be hoping to get the win against Tunisia. This is the final round of games in Group F, though, so it could well be make-or-break time for both teams.
Local fans might have taken Algeria to their hearts over the opening weeks of this year’s World Cup, with the Fennec Foxes based in Lawrence, Kansas, and the team returning to Arrowhead Stadium to play their final game of the opening phase against Austria on June 27th. It is expected that Argentina will win the group, and debutant Jordan might struggle at its first finals, so these two might be battling it out to become runner-up in the group and book a berth in the round of 32.
Unlike some of the other venues chosen to host games at this year’s World Cup, Arrowhead Stadium will continue to host after the group phase, with a round of 32 tie, as well as a quarterfinal game. Anything can happen at a World Cup finals, of course, so it is difficult to confidently predict which teams will be appearing on July 3rd. But, if all goes to plan, it could well be Portugal – with its talismanic captain, Cristiano Ronaldo – who lines up for this knockout tie. The other team will be one of the best third-place teams from the opening stage, so local fans could be in for a Ronaldo soccer lesson.
The final game to be played at Arrowhead Stadium at this summer’s World Cup will be a quarterfinal tie on July 11th. With the other three games being staged at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, and the Hard Rock Gardens in Miami, the fact that the game is in Kansas City only proves that soccer is regarded as a major sport in this region. If all goes to plan, it might even feature Portugal or Argentina again, so local fans could well get a chance to see some of the finest soccer athletes in history playing at the highest level.
Figure 2 Thousands of football fans from all over the world will be coming to the US – Source: Pexels
Iowa may not be home to one of the stadiums used at this year’s FIFA World Cup, but local soccer fans have an excellent opportunity to enjoy the best of the “world’s game” playing nearby, with all the atmosphere and excitement that goes along with that. When the World Cup last came to the US in 1994, it helped kickstart a movement that saw the sport’s fan base grow incredibly over the next few years. Soccer is now an established sport in the US – as well as right here in Iowa. This World Cup provides a chance for Iowan fans to get to enjoy it close up, so make sure you take in as much as possible over the next few weeks and months.