Argentina’s World Cup squad touched down in Kansas City Sunday after an 11‑hour, 5,500‑mile charter from Ezeiza. The Aerolineas Argentinas Airbus A330 bore a special livery, with Lionel Messi’s No. 10 on the tail and three gold stars marking three titles. The flight was numbered 1978, echoing the nation’s first championship on home soil.

Argentina is the first of four nations to set up a U.S. home base in the Kansas City metro; the Netherlands, England and Algeria will arrive later this week at the University of Kansas. Most players traveled on the charter, while a few joined from clubs abroad. After a brief tarmac walk, the squad checked into the Origin Hotel, where security perimeters and team branding dominate the lobby.

The team will spend Sunday in light gym work before a full session Monday at the Compass Minerals National Performance Center, home of Sporting Kansas City. Argentina’s warm‑up includes a friendly versus Honduras in Texas on June 5 and a match against Iceland in Alabama on June 8. Coach Lionel Scaloni confirmed a 26‑man roster centred on Messi, who battles hamstring fatigue but remains slated for his sixth World Cup, underscoring Argentina’s bid to repeat 2022 triumph.