KCK looking to capitalize on 2026 FIFA World Cup

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - In less than two years, Kansas City will enter the international limelight as a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Kansas City is one of just 16 host cities for the tournament, which is expanding from 32 to 48 teams for the first time. Thursday night, KCK hosted its monthly World Cup Readiness Task Force Meeting to help the city and Wyandotte County prepare for the World Cup to come to town.

Organizers expect 650,000 visitors to come to Kansas City during the tournament.

“We are under the two-year mark, so we know we’ve got a lot of work to do,” said Alan Carr, the co-chair of the Wyandotte County World Cup Readiness Task Force.

While no matches will be played in Kansas, organizers in Wyandotte County want to make sure the county is ready when FIFA comes to town.

“Our purpose with this task force is to make sure our businesses, our attractions, our hotels, and our restaurants are ready for those visitors and that we can maximize those opportunities, getting as many visitors as we can into Wyandotte County,” Carr said.

Sporting KC is also set to play a big role in 2026. The team’s stadium, Children’s Mercy Park, will be used as a training site for the teams playing World Cup matches at Arrowhead Stadium. The team’s training facility, Com Minerals National Performance Center, is a possible home base for teams competing in 2026.

“The national teams get to make a selection of where they want to be based,” said Kurt Austin, Sporting KC’s Senior Director of Communications. “We think with the great infrastructure and facilities we have here in Kansas City, we’re really attractive to host one or more teams in Kansas City.”

The task force has set a deadline of March 2025 to deliver recommendations to the Unified Government of Wyandotte County. That will give the UG a little more than a year to set those plans in motion. Sporting KC thinks KCK will show out in 2026.

“It’s going to be an incredible event for the entire region, but specifically for Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas,” Austin said. “To be able to bring in international teams to the region and stay in Kansas City, Kansas, stay in Wyandotte County, have guests, have visitors from all around the world checking out all the great attractions, all the great shopping, all the great restaurants, all the great entertainment options that exist throughout the community.”

The Wyandotte County World Cup Readiness Task force is asking the public for ideas about how to make the World Cup a success. If you’d like to leave them a comment, you can do so here.

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