Food for champions: Argentina bring 500 kg of beef to 2026 World Cup

When deciding on Kansas City as their base camp for the 2026 World Cup, the reigning world champions chose to train at the Compass Minerals National Performance Center of Sporting KC and stay at the Origin Hotel.

However, they brought much more than just training equipment, football boots, and jerseys. According to Argentine Powerthe South American champions transported nearly 500 kg of meat from their homeland to Kansas.

This decision is part of a long-term nutritional strategy that the Argentina national team has pursued for many years. The coaching staff considers nutrition a key factor in determining athletic performance.

Their ultimate goal is to avoid any sudden changes in the players’ diets throughout the tournament, a highly stressful period demanding maximum physical and mental effort.

For elite athletes, nutritional stability is crucial for physical recovery. Given the demanding schedule and constant travel requiring immense energy expenditure, the national team’s medical staff and chefs understand that this familiar, high-quality protein source will optimize muscle regeneration and maintain endurance.

This carefully selected shipment features the most characteristic cuts deeply rooted in the South American nation’s culinary culture. The imported selection includes favorites such as short ribs, pork belly, flank steak, matambre, ribeye, tenderloin and round ham.

To bring this enormous amount of food into the U.S., the logistics team spent months planning meticulously. They had to strictly adhere to tight U.S. health and customs regulations.

This level of detail sparked considerable public curiosity. Fans wondered whether the beef was transported on the same plane as the players, where it would be securely stored, and how many specialized freezers were needed to hold it all.

Throughout the tournament, Argentina squad have maintained a rather private lifestyle. However, videos of the players gathering around a barbecue were shared on social media. According to The Kansas City Starthese clips quickly made the team “honorary citizens” of a region already famous for its barbecue culture.

Chiqui Tapia, president of the Argentinian Football Association, posted a video of the team’s barbecue party on X, noting that this was the group’s third barbecue in Kansas.

Immesring in the barbeque culture of their host city, Argentina players nonchalantly kept their campfires burning hot despite tornado warnings earlier in the month.

The Argentina team brought half a ton of beef to the World Cup to support the players

However, this massive meat shipment to Kansas holds no candle to the tournament four years ago. Argentine Power noted that at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Argentina transported a staggering 2.5 tons of meat to feed their players, who had a stellar run to win the trophy.

Argentina are not the only team bringing food from their homeland to the 2026 World Cup. The Norway national team took a similar approach upon arriving in the U.S..

According to APNorway brought numerous specialty products from their homeland. The goal was to maintain consistency in the players’ menus and provide a comforting taste of home.

Norway transported a total of 580 kg of food, including 300 kg of Norwegian salmon and trout, 100 kg of halibut, 80 kg of traditional brown cheese and 100 kg of Jarlsberg cheese.

Aron Espeland, the head chef of Norway national team, stated that when athletes compete at the highest level, consistency in diet is extremely important, Fox Sports reported.

He emphasized that enjoying familiar flavors and products not only ensures necessary nutritional value but also contributes significantly to the players’ mental well-being and comfort throughout the tournament.

Back to Argentina, Messi and the team will play Spain in the final on Sunday (local time).