KC-area city is already making plans for a big World Cup watch party next summer

The North Kansas City Council agreed to host a FIFA World Cup watch party for the quarterfinal match that will be held in KC next summer as part of a broader push to bring fans and tourists north of the Missouri River during the tournament.

North Kansas City’s party will be held on July 11, 2026, but other details aren’t clear yet because so many factors are still up in the air a year out, the city council said.

“We have more questions than answers,” said Kim Nakahodo, the deputy city administrator for North Kansas City, on Tuesday. Nahkahodo said the city has over 300 days to plan ahead.

The watch party is a part of a Northland initiative newly dubbed GoNorthKC, a collaboration among cities in Clay and Platte counties to attract some of the 600,000 guests expected in the metro area next summer for the global soccer championships. The quarterfinal watch party in NKC will be the last party in GoNorthKC’s efforts.

Mayor Jesse Smith and some council members raised questions about what it will cost the city to put on this kind of party and if it will be difficult to abide by FIFA’s regulations to do so, but they all ultimately agreed to move forward with the plan.

Location and local businesses

The city administrators presented two potential locations for the council to consider: Swift Street, a bust main street at the heart of the local business district, and Macken Park, located at 1002 Clark Ferguson Drive, a ways away from businesses.

Council members seemed to lean towards Swift, to benefit local businesses and due to the concrete surface versus the grassy area at Macken Park. If the city were to choose Macken, the uncertainty of the weather could mean the city would have to pay to replace damaged turf if it rains or if party goers ruin the park.

However, Swift has several access points that the city would need to cover for safety reasons. This would mean more security on site, which could cost the city more money.

FIFA has several restrictions for official watch parties, such as not charging an admission fee, only displaying sponsors for the World Cup, and not displaying FIFA World Cup logos.

GoNorthKC is not sure if they can charge for outside vendors yet.

Several council members, including the mayor, said they wanted to make sure that local businesses – such as breweries – would benefit from World Cup festivities. They were worried that the requirement to work with FIFA’s sponsors could complicate that.

“We want to make this as hyperlocal as we possibly can,” said Nakahodo. “Especially about local libations and their ability to have them at any event that we are going to be sponsoring.”

Smith joked and asked if the city could use a Budweiser logo, assuming that they would be an official sponsor of the World Cup, but use Cinder Blocks pour.

The GoNorthKC team has formally submitted several questions for clarification on the regulations.

KC2026, the group leading the metro’s efforts to host the soccer matches, is expected to publish a small playbook for how local businesses can appropriately profit from the World Cup without breaking any rules. Nakahodo said FIFA will send out scouts for those breaking the rules.

Right now, the team is hopeful these parties will be listed as official watch parties by FIFA to attract more guests to the Northland, she said.

Cost to the city

The city’s estimate for the party currently sits at $25-30,000 before insurance, which could add another $25,000-$50,000 to the total.

The city may also need to obtain a special non-commercial public viewing event license from FIFA, which is for events with a thousand or more attendees.

The uncertainty of the time of the quarterfinals has led to the city’s Parks and Recreation Department suggesting the city purchase a 16-foot by 9-foot screen that could be seen during daytime as well as nighttime.

“We have heard that (FIFA) would, somewhat, frown upon, if it were a..., let’s say, an inflatable (screen) that you do at a smaller backyard party,” said Nakahodo.

The screen would cost $120,000 to purchase, with the city’s tourism fund and the parks department. There could possibly be other surrounding sites hosting watch parties that would lease the screen to North Kansas City. The estimated cost for leasing is between $3,000-$6,000.

“That is a much easier pill to swallow,” said Lyndsey Magrone, one of the council members for Ward 2. “Even if we would get a return on our investment at some point, I don’t know how long it would take for a screen like that to potentially die or need repairs.”

Administrators said the screen would last decades and the city could use the screen for movies in the park in the future.

The council will vote on the details of the cost of the party at a later date.