If you haven't been swept up in the FIFA World Cup by now — whether on television, your phone, or at a neighborhood watch party — you have one last chance this Sunday when the championship match crowns a winner.
This summer, the World Cup transformed North America into a global gathering place. Kansas City became one of its unexpected centers, hosting defending champion Argentina for multiple matches and welcoming thousands of international supporters to the Midwest.
For my family, the tournament wasn't just about soccer. It was about experiencing another culture through food.
We joined a watch party at Argentinas Empanadas in College Hill, where the new patio was filled with fans wearing Argentina's iconic sky-blue-and-white No. 10 Lionel Messi jerseys. The cheers rose with every attack, but so did the aroma of freshly baked empanadas coming from the kitchen.
We shared several varieties, including the Tango Beef, filled with steak, peppers, onions, and hard-boiled egg, and a sweet corn empanada with cream cheese, green onions, and paprika. The boys, naturally, chose the Messi Chicken. Sitting on the curb with warm empanadas in hand, we watched Argentina advance while celebrating alongside strangers who, for ninety minutes, felt like neighbors.
In Argentina, soccer and empanadas are woven into everyday life. One represents national identity on the field, the other around the family table. Both are traditions meant to be shared.
Long after the final whistle blows this weekend, those flavors, stories, and moments of community will remain one of the tournament's lasting memories.
