Curaçao Fans Flood Kansas City for 2nd World Cup Match as $1,700 Trips Mark Historic Run
Updated
Updated · KCUR · Jun 20
Curaçao Fans Flood Kansas City for 2nd World Cup Match as $1,700 Trips Mark Historic Run
3 articles · Updated · KCUR · Jun 20
Summary
Kansas City’s FIFA Fan Festival turned into a visible “blue wave” before Curaçao’s match with Ecuador, with supporters celebrating the island’s second-ever World Cup game.
Curaçao qualified for its first World Cup last year as the smallest nation ever to do so, turning Saturday’s match into a milestone that fans repeatedly called history.
A 12-hour trip and a $1,700 travel package did not deter supporters such as Elton Santiago, while others said scarce flights to the U.S. kept many would-be fans home.
Though heavily outnumbered by Ecuador’s yellow shirts for much of the afternoon, Curaçao backers said representing absent supporters made the trip feel almost mandatory.
The turnout underscored how the underdog team’s debut run has drawn outsized devotion from a small Caribbean nation not expected to contend deep in the tournament.