From Algerian fervour to Oranje march, World Cup transforms Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Missouri, July 11 : As Kansas City prepared to bring the curtain down on its World Cup on Saturday, local organisers were already reflecting on a month that put the Midwestern city on the global stage.

Kansas City has been host to six games including a round-of-16 match and Saturday's quarter-final between Argentina and Switzerland at Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs.

But the tournament's legacy will be measured as much by the supporters who adopted the city as their temporary home.

The city welcomed large followings from several nations, including Algeria, whose fans spilled across neighbouring Lawrence, Kansas, where the North African team made their base camp.

A sea of Netherlands orange marched through downtown streets before turning parts of the city centre into a Dutch carnival.

Supporters from Argentina, Switzerland, Colombia and others packed fan zones, bars and public squares over the past month, transforming the self-styled "Soccer Capital of America" into a meeting place for the world and giving residents a rare chance to experience the World Cup's unique blend of sport, culture and community on their own doorstep.

"The last month has been very special for Kansas City to have a chance to be on the international stage," Clark Hunt, honorary co-chair of the KC 2026 board and chairman and CEO of the Chiefs, told reporters.

"Getting to see fans from all around the world coming to Kansas City to cheer on their teams ... has been amazing."

Hunt said he hoped the city would have the chance to welcome the tournament back one day.

"If we have the opportunity to bid, we'll do it," he said.

For KC 2026 Chief Executive Pam Kramer, the tournament's legacy will extend