Argentina fans shot at in Kansas City Uber on way to World Cup opener against Algeria

A group of Argentina fans say they were shot at while travelling to their team’s opening 2026 World Cup match against Algeria in Kansas City on Wednesday, with the driver of their Uber reportedly struck in the leg by gunfire from a passing vehicle.

The fans told an Argentine television crew that a car fired twice at their vehicle as they made their way to the game. One passenger said they initially mistook the shots for a burst tyre, only realising what had happened after the car braked sharply and they noticed a wound on the driver. Police were called to the scene, according to reports citing Newsweek.

The group told Argentine outlet La Nacion the incident occurred roughly 20 minutes before kick-off at 7:40pm local time. Officers took statements from the passengers before driving them to the stadium in patrol cars. The motive for the alleged shooting remains unclear, and one fan claimed the same thing had “already happened to three other cars.”

Kansas City ranked fourth in the United States for violent crime rate among cities with more than 100,000 citizens last year, according to FBI data. The city was also the scene of a fatal shooting during the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl championship celebration in February 2025, when local radio host Lisa Lopez-Galvan was killed by a stray bullet and around two dozen others were wounded.

On the pitch, Argentina began their title defence with a commanding 3-0 victory over Algeria. Captain Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick — his first for his country — on his 200th international appearance, moving him level with Miroslav Klose on 16 World Cup goals in the all-time scoring rankings.

Messi broke down in tears during the match, and was candid about the reason afterwards. “Completely unrelated to the sport, I went through some difficult, complicated days,” the 38-year-old said. “I’m grateful to the entire delegation, to my teammates. They were always there for me, as always. They gave me a lot of strength to get through this.”

Asked why he cried, Messi added: “It was something completely unrelated to football. I went through some difficult days, but I’m grateful to the entire delegation and my teammates because they were always by my side, giving me a lot of strength.”