KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Lionel Messi has had a successful stay in Kansas City.
With a pair of wins in Kansas City during his World Cup journey with Argentina and weeks’ worth of time spent at the Origin Hotel in the Riverfront, Messi’s sixth World Cup as a player continues on.
It just will no longer include time spent in Kansas City. Monday night, Messi and the Argentina national team are set to depart for Atlanta, where they’ll play England on Wednesday afternoon in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals.
“Last one in Kansas City!” Messi captioned an Instagram post showcasing photos from Monday’s training at Compass Minerals National Performance Center, the practice facility of Sporting KC. “Thanks for everything!!”
The winner will advance on to Sunday’s championship game at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The loser will instead head to Miami for the third-place game on Saturday.
KCTV confirmed that England — which is staying at Meadowbrook in Prairie Village — will also not return to Kansas City following Wednesday’s match.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi, front, and Switzerland’s Fabian Rieder fight for the ball during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match in Kansas City, Mo., Saturday, July 11, 2026.(Jeff Roberson | AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Messi is firmly in the Golden Boot race for the 2026 tournament. He scored 3 of his 8 goals in the tournament with a hat trick in Argentina’s tournament opener, which was played against Algeria in Kansas City on June 16.
The 39-year-old from Rosario, Argentina, had an assist in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Switzerland in the quarterfinal held in Kansas City.
Argentina and England will play Wednesday at 2 p.m. CT.
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