Vicente Conculini quit his job, climbed onto a bike, and didn't stop pedaling for nine months. He and two friends — Miguel Silio and Yamandú Martínez — cycled nearly 11,000 miles from Gualeguaychú, Argentina, to Kansas City, Missouri, to watch their national team play in the 2026 World Cup. They left last August. They arrived for a tournament that kicks off Thursday.
When asked if he'd even heard of Kansas City before setting off, Conculini's answer was a flat "No."
That's the kind of commitment that makes you reconsider every excuse you've ever made for missing a match.
Sixteen countries, one destination
The route took the trio through sixteen countries, hauling summer and winter gear on their bikes as the terrain and climate changed around them. The hardest stretches came in the mountains of Bolivia and Peru — high altitude, brutal gradients, thousands of miles still ahead. They documented the journey on social media along the way, stopping to take in Mexico before pushing north toward the US border.
All of it to watch Argentina play Algeria at Arrowhead Stadium on June 16.
The match itself carries real weight on the Group A table — Algeria aren't a soft opener, and Argentina will be expected to deliver three points in front of what promises to be a passionate crowd. The good news for the three cyclists: they'll actually be in the stadium. Mike Kelly, chair of the Johnson County Board of Commissioners, surprised the group with tickets upon their arrival in Kansas City.
"I think one of the things we're trying to show is the warmth and hospitality that is here, not only in America, but specifically in Kansas City," Kelly told ABC News.
On a scale of 1 to 10, Conculini rates his love for the Argentina national team at 11. After an 11,000-mile bike ride, that number checks out.
