Argentina began its 2026 World Cup campaign against Algeria on Wednesday with Lionel Messi starring for the defending champions in Kansas City.
Argentine fans spoke out about the incident (Image: La Nacion)
A group of Argentina fans say they were gunned down on their way to their team’s 2026 World Cup opener on Wednesday. Fans told Argentine television crews that they were on their way to the Argentina-Algeria game in Kansas City when a passing car fired twice at their Uber.
Police were called to the scene after a bullet hit the driver in the leg, Newsweek reported. One of the passengers said he initially mistook the gunshots for a tire burst and realized what had happened when he saw the scratches after the car braked.
Fans told Argentine media outlet La Nación that the incident happened about 20 minutes before kick-off at 7.40pm local time (1.40am BST). The group said police took them to give statements and then drove them to the stadium in a police car.
Fans say the motive for the alleged shooting remains unclear. Another fan claimed that “the same thing has already happened with three other cars.”
Last year, Kansas City ranked fourth in the nation for violent crime rates among cities with a population of 100,000 or more, according to FBI data.
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The most notorious incident occurred in February 2025, when local radio host Lisa López Galván was killed by a stray bullet during the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory celebration. Approximately 24 other people were injured, but their injuries were not fatal.
Argentina started their World Cup title defense with a comfortable 3-0 victory, with legendary captain Lionel Messi scoring a hat-trick. The 38-year-old broke down in tears during his record-equalling night, insisting it had “nothing to do with football”.
Lionel Messi made World Cup history as Argentina defeated Algeria in the World Cup (Image: (Photo by Kouji Watanabe/Getty Images))
Messi scored his first three goals for his country, and in this match, which was also his 200th appearance for his country, he is now tied with Miroslav Klose on the all-time scoring list with 16 goals.
After the match, he thanked his teammates and Albiceleste staff for their help, saying: “To be honest, I had a difficult and complicated day, completely unrelated to this sport.”
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“Thank you to the entire delegation and my teammates. They have always been there for me, as always. They have given me a lot of strength to get through this situation. That’s all.”
He added, “The reason I cried was because it had nothing to do with soccer.
“I’ve had some difficult days, but I’m grateful to the whole squad and my teammates. They’ve always been by my side and gave me a lot of strength to get through it.”
Argentina continue their World Cup campaign on Monday when they take on Austria in Arlington (6pm BST).
