Scotty Gange Credit: 9News
By Sean Keeley on

The 2026 FIFA World Cup has largely been a success so far, with one of the biggest positives being the ways that host cities have been highlighted and appreciated by international fans.

Those not paying close attention beforehand fully expected to see cities like Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, and Seattle among the U.S. hosts. What they might not have expected was to see Kansas City in the mix, especially with cities like Chicago, Minneapolis, and Denver not involved.

That appears to be top of mind in some of those cities as well, where regret seems to have set in over not being involved in the festivities.

9News sports anchor Scott Gange is among the many Denverites bummed out that the Mile High City isn’t a World Cup host city, and he shared his frustrations during a recent telecast, taking a shot at Kansas City in the process.

“The biggest loser in the 2026 FIFA World Cup is Denver, Colorado,” said Gange during a broadcast. “The FIFA World Cup has been incredible. But the biggest question asked here in Colorado is why are the games not being played in Denver? And seeing Kansas City host games is painful. Compared to [Empower Field at] Mile High, Arrowhead Stadium is a dump. You know what? Arrowhead Stadium is a dump compared to [Denver Summit FC’s] Cherry Creek Stadium.

“The Mile High City is the blueprint for events like this. Great facilities for the teams to train. Hotels galore, and a massive stadium that fills up for soccer matches.”

Gange later notes that Denver has no one to blame but itself, as the Denver Sports Commission chose not to meet FIFA’s admittedly audacious financial demands.

If you thought that shot across the bow of Kansas City would go unnoticed, you were wrong. And Kansas Citians flocked to social media not only to give it back to Gange but also to revel in the realization that people all over America are recognizing that their city belongs in the conversation.

Gange is no stranger to going viral for his commentaries (and probably knew exactly what he was doing with this one). He once referred to Rockies star Kris Bryant as a “bank robber” for failing to meet the expectations of his contract. He’s taken the University of Colorado to task for its overappeasement of football coach Deion Sanders. And earlier this season, he apologized to Nuggets fans after telling them not to watch their team in a game they eventually won without many of their top stars.

The Kansas City Chiefs-Denver Broncos rivalry doesn’t need any more ammo at this point, but pile this one on for the next game at Arrowhead Stadium as a little added motivation.

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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