With the Major League Soccer season paused until July 16 -- when Sporting Kansas City visits rivals St. Louis CITY SC -- FIFA World Cup 26 continues this week with Kansas City's first match of the knockout stage as Colombia takes on Ghana in the Round of 32 at 8:30 p.m. CT this Friday at Kansas City Stadium live on FOX and Telemundo.
Friday marks the fifth of six FIFA World Cup 26 matches at Kansas City Stadium ahead of a highly anticipated quarterfinal on July 11. Four countries (Algeria, Argentina, England and Netherlands) have also selected the region for their  team base camp  and both soccer-specific stadiums in KC will be utilized as venue-specific training sites for national teams in the tournament.
Sporting Kansas City co-owner Cliff Illig is co-chair of the KC2026 Board of Directors , while Sporting Kansas City President and CEO Jake Reid serves as Vice President. Sporting Kansas City was announced by KC2026 as an official  Host City Supporter and the club will activate at  FIFA Fan Festival  at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in addition to hosting  Soccer Capital Summer at Sporting Park.
CHEER ON MEXICO AND USMNT AT SPORTING PARK
Soccer Capital Summer continues at Sporting Park (1 Sporting Way, Kansas City, KS) this week as the series of fan engagement events and experiences resumes on Tuesday and Wednesday with watch parties, live entertainment and immersive programming. Soccer Capital Summer will open at 6 p.m. on Tuesday (Mexico-Ecuador at 8 p.m.) and 5 p.m. on Wednesday (USA-Bosnia and Herzegovina at 7 p.m. in addition to live music from Logan Mize). Soccer Capital Summer is free to attend for fans of all ages with advance registration required. Parking can be purchased in advance ($15 for Season Ticket Members, $20 for general public) or on the day of an event ($25).
SKC PLAYER AND MASCOT AT LIBRARY EVENT TONIGHT
A Sporting Kansas City player and team mascot Blue will make a special appearance from 5-6 p.m. tonight at the KC Public Library's North-East Branch (6000 Wilson Ave.) to support the "Score a Reading Goal " summer reading series. The interactive soccer storytime is designed for youth between the ages of 5-12 years old and all children who sign up for the summer reading program receive a free book.
REGISTER TODAY FOR SKC 5v5 FEST ON JULY 11
Today is the deadline to register for Sporting KC's annual 5v5 Fest benefitting The Victory Project. The tournament will take place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on July 11 at Central Bank Sporting Complex in Kansas City, Mo featuring recreational teams in 1st to 4th grade and competitive teams in U8 (2018) to U13 (2013) age groups in addition to an adult division. For more information, visit SportingKCYouth.com.
FREE SHIPPING OFFER AT MLSSTORE.COM ENDS TUESDAY
Fans can take advantage of free shipping on orders over $49 at MLSstore.com  until 10:59 p.m. CT on Tuesday with the code MLS49 (terms and exclusions apply), including hundreds of Sporting Kansas City items  in youth, men's and women's sizes including the new Americana pre-match jersey.
COLvSKC AWAY TICKET REQUESTS OPEN THURSDAY
Sporting Kansas City Season Ticket Members and members of Sporting KC supporters groups are eligible to receive complimentary tickets for Sporting away matches . Away ticket requests for Sporting's upcoming road trip to play the Colorado Rapids on Aug. 15 at DICK'S Sporting Goods Park will open this Thursday.
