Angie and Chris Long were spending a month in France in 2019 when they were invited to attend several matches at the FIFA Women’s World Cup™. Both with backgrounds in finance, they were captivated by what they experienced.

“The fans, the commercial side and, quite simply, the fact that it’s one of the most beautiful sports in the world really caught our attention,” Chris said. “We took it very seriously and thought, ‘Couldn’t we go back and invest in a team in Kansas City that could be as successful as what we’re witnessing here?’”

“It was incredible to see how women’s football was growing around the globe,” Angie added. “We already knew it was hugely important in the United States, but seeing it flourish across Europe and the rest of the world was really special.”

Football was hardly unfamiliar territory for either of them. “I started playing when I was four years old and I was a ‘keeper,” recalled Angie. “I’ve always loved the beautiful game.” “It was the first sport I was able to coach my children in,” explained Chris. “All four of them loved soccer from a young age, so I became involved both as a parent and as a coach.”

With that in mind, the Longs teamed up with Brittany Mahomes, a former footballer and the wife of Patrick Mahomes, quarterback for the renowned NFL side Kansas City Chiefs. Their decision was made: they would purchase the franchise of the team that had originally played in Kansas City before relocating to Utah.

As a result, Royals FC returned to Kansas City in 2021 and, ahead of the 2022 season, took on the name Kansas City Current. They are the only club in the National Women’s Soccer League with a stadium built exclusively for women’s football, which opened in 2024.

Hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup on their doorstep is a huge deal, say the Longs. What’s more, in the run-up to the first match in Kansas City – Argentina v Algeria, in which Lionel Messi scored all three goals in a 3-0 win for the defending champions – they watched as one of their own players, Temwa Chaŵinga, took part in the pre-match ceremony.

Alongside Chaŵinga were Brittany and Patrick Mahomes, who enjoyed the spectacle and even had time to meet briefly with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and have their photo taken with the FIFA World Cup Trophy.

“Football is already very strong here, but I think this (the FIFA World Cup) takes it across generations,” Angie Long said. “Wherever you look – newspapers, TV channels and radio stations – it’s all about the World Cup, which is changing the way people understand football in the United States.”

Angie expects the impact to be felt nationwide, including in the women’s game. “More and more people know the sport and it’s becoming part of their lives. Once you’ve experienced it, you miss it if you don’t watch it again. I think it’ll become even more prominent and we’ll see more people attending matches and following teams and players.”

Chris considers that there are many lessons to be learned from the tournament, but one stands out above the rest. “I think one of the best things is that the game itself – the product – is just incredible,” he noted. “FIFA does an outstanding job of marketing it in so many different ways. If you think about what football means to so many people, it’s much more than just a game. It’s culture, it’s society and it’s almost like a religion. I think presenting it that way is a very different approach from the one the United States has historically taken.”

As key figures in women’s football stateside, both are excited that the next FIFA Women’s World Cup will be staged in Brazil. “There’s a hotbed of Brazilian talent in our league,” Angie said. “I think it’s fantastic and it’ll help women’s football continue to grow in a country where people are already so passionate about the game.”

“It’s a brilliant decision by FIFA,” Chris exclaimed. “This is a country that’s produced exciting football for so long. The fact that women’s football – just like the men’s game – is so strong there means it’ll attract huge global interest.”