Fiesta de futbol? One Kansas City soccer watch party practically empty
Branch library plans two more screenings
Suppose they threw a party to mark one of the world’s biggest sports events, but hardly anyone showed up.
That’s what happened Thursday afternoon at one location in Kansas City, Kansas, on opening day of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Various groups staged “watch parties” for the Mexico-South Africa match around the area dubbed the “Soccer Capital of America.”
That included the South Branch of the Kansas City, Kansas Public Library. The branch is in the Argentine neighborhood, which is predominantly Hispanic.
But as the 2 p.m. kickoff approached, only one reporter was in the meeting room.
Two mothers brought six children in around 1:50 p.m. But they all left before the opening whistle, after the library announced an “outdoor art extravaganza.”
The families showed little enthusiasm for the teams, anyway. The South African national anthem brought slight applause, while Mexico’s anthem had none.
Yet it wasn’t a matter of people not liking soccer. Before leaving, one boy indicated he had a book with stickers of top international players.
So the party was empty for the first nine minutes, as the library showed the Fox telecast of the game in English. It was a clean network feed, with nothing showing to promote WDAF-TV.
Moments after Julian Quiňones scored the opening goal for Mexico, a young woman wearing a Mexican team shirt entered the room. She was the only adult to stay for most of the match.
“For the news - noticias,” the woman said at halftime to explain why she chose that location. She apparently meant that she checked Spanish-language newspapers and websites available at the library.
A few families walked in and out of the room during the game, simply checking the score. Two children entered at halftime, with one boy remaining through part of the second half with crayons at a table to keep him occupied.
The young woman left satisfied in the 82nd minute. The match was well in hand; Mexico won 2-0 in a contest that ended with more red cards than goals.
The “party” ended as it began, with only one reporter in a room.
“We’ve never done this before,” a librarian admitted outside the screening room after the match. “We didn’t know what to expect.”
The library did a little promotion of the watch party. But it was small compared to what Kansas City, Kansas Mayor Christal Watson did to promote a bigger event downtown at Memorial Hall.
The city-run free event had a giant screen showing the opening match in Spanish, along with food vendors and alcohol sales. In contrast, the library allowed people to bring their own snacks.
The South Branch Library at 3104 Strong Avenue plans at least two more soccer watch parties. The next one is scheduled for Wednesday, June 17 at 3 p.m., when England clashes with Croatia.
Memorial Hall will hold seven more watch parties during World Cup Group Play. Two are planned Tuesday, June 16, including an evening party when Argentina and Algeria meet at what normally is Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium.