Kansas City, Missouri, known as "the soccer capital of America", is getting the ball rolling for city-wide celebrations during the 2026 World Cup, when it will serve as one of the host cities.
The Midwestern city is the home of the Sporting Kansas City team, an original member of Major League Soccer, which has one of the most solid fan bases in the league. Moreover, soccer participation rates across all age groups in the city are among the highest in the United States.
During the tournament, the city will host six matches, including four group-stage games, one Round of 32 match and one quarterfinal.
Defending champion Argentina and one of the leading candidates for the trophy -- the Netherlands -- have set this city as their base camp.
With the World Cup drawing near, soccer fans in the city have begun gathering outside the hotels where players are staying, hoping to catch a glimpse of their idols.
Among them was local soccer fan Andres, who expressed excitement for the tournament both as a resident of a host city and as an immigrant from Colombia.
"[Colombia may enter the] second round or the third round; hopefully, or quarterfinals. But I think there are many many good teams, like France, Argentina. Brazil is a good team, too; maybe Portugal," he said.
The city will also hold a FIFA Fan Festival during the Cup. For the event, huge screens and entertainment facilities will be set up against Kansas City's iconic backdrop of the National World War I Museum and Memorial.
The festival plans to welcome more than 20,000 people, offering fans 18 days of free match screenings and entertainment experiences.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup opens on June 11. A total of 104 matches will be played in Canada, Mexico and the United States, with the final to be hold on July 19.
"Soccer capital of America" gears up for 2026 World Cup
China's advances in the low-altitude economy became manifest as its first domestically developed engine specifically for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft rolled off the production line.
The AEE25 aviation electric engine, developed by the AECC (Aero Engine Corporation of China) Aeroengine Control System Institute, was delivered in Wuxi City, east China's Jiangsu Province, on Friday, setting a national record for torque density, meaning a lighter engine that allows the aircraft to carry more passengers or cargo.
The achievement marks a major breakthrough in key aviation electric propulsion technologies, with the engine's performance reaching internationally advanced levels.
The AEE25 converts electrical energy from onboard batteries into lift and thrust for rotor systems. The engine has achieved a torque density of 40 newton-meters per kilogram, the highest among China's publicly disclosed 200-kW-class aviation electric engines.
The engine integrates six core components -- a main motor and its controller, a cooling system motor and its controller, and a variable-pitch actuator and its controller -- into one.
"This is a highly integrated product. For aircraft manufacturers, it can start to work after being installed with the propeller and connected to power and the bus, thus simplifying the aircraft design process. In addition, the engine is designed to be safe enough, with all motors designed in duplicate, and all controllers having two channels. In the event of any single-point failure, the power output can be guaranteed," said Liu Guoping, deputy director of the AECC institute.
The AEE25 will be installed on the E20 eVTOL aircraft developed by Shanghai TCab Technology Co., Ltd (TCab Tech). The engine has also entered the airworthiness certification process alongside the aircraft program.
China's first homegrown eVTOL engine rolls off production line
