Host with the most: Volunteers help showcase Lee’s Summit during the 2026 World Cup

The 2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup may be more than a year away, but a team of local volunteers are already working together to showcase Lee’s Summit and support tourism.

Kansas City is one of 16 host cities within the United States. Six matches will be held at Arrowhead Stadium during June and July, drawing close to 650,000 visitors as well as thousands of soccer team members, support staff and officials.

Due to the enormous influx of guests, communities within a 200-mile radius of Kansas City will help host and house the large numbers, said Laura Maxwell, chairwoman of the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce Board and co-chairwoman of the local World Cup Planning Team. Other members of the core planning team are co-chair Jon Ellis, a community volunteer; Matt Baird, Lee’s Summit Chamber president; and Cori Day, executive director of the Lee’s Summit Visitors Bureau.

“We have 10 sub-committees, and they are trying to identify and execute strategies that are going to help Lee’s Summit have the best possible foot forward,” Maxwell said. “Our goal is to get people into Lee’s Summit because if they come, they are going to spend money and enjoy their time here. It’s going to be a great opportunity to share awareness of Kansas City in general but what Lee’s Summit specifically has to offer visitors to the Midwest.”

Currently around 150 local citizens are serving on the sub-committees, although Maxwell expects that number to approach 200 by next winter.

Since forming last November through the Lee’s Summit Chamber of Commerce, the team has worked on several initiatives, including recently applying to be a location for a FIFA officially licensed pop-up store. Lee’s Summit’s proximity to the Arrowhead soccer matches makes the community uniquely situated for lodging and attractions for guests, and Maxwell said the team is hopeful that the community will be selected.

“So when people are looking online, they will hopefully be like ‘Oh, there’s a pop-up store in Lee’s Summit so I want to go there,’” she added.

FIFA will also be designating six park-and-ride transportation sites within the Kansas City area, and the Planning Team is watching for this announcement with fingers crossed that Lee’s Summit is selected as a hub.

“If people are coming to park their vehicle in your community, they are going to be more inclined to eat and shop and play before or after the matches or on another day because they become familiar with your part of town,” Maxwell said.

The sub-committees include teams focusing on food and beverage, housing, legal, hospitality, transportation, volunteers, welcoming/beautification, recreation/entertainment, marketing and healthcare.

By next winter, FIFA will announce which countries will be represented at the Kansas City matches, and the sub-committees will be better able to prepare for guests including any from non-English speaking nations.

For example, the food and beverage team plans to develop a guide book including any rules about FIFA branding for watch parties, as well as awareness of potential languages spoken by their guests. The healthcare team — which includes the three Lee’s Summit hospitals — is helping local medical professionals prepare for the possibility of patients from around the world.

Maxwell said the housing subcommittee is considering the possibility of suspending or amending ordinances that relate to short-term housing, in the hopes that those hoping to turn their homes into Airbnbs can do so safely, and without breaking ordinances.

Since FIFA has stringent rules related to trademarks and logos, the legal subcommittee is examining this and will provide information to stakeholders. In addition, the transportation team is not only looking at all the ways guests travel throughout Lee’s Summit and the metro area, they are making plans related to the Rock Island Trail, a walking and bicycle trail running through Lee’s Summit and connecting to Arrowhead.

“What’s that going to look like and how do we effectively manage and ensure a safe environment for people that may choose to travel to the stadium along the Rock Island Trail?” Maxwell asked.

The World Cup presents the Kansas City area and Lee’s Summit with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, she said. “It’s certainly the largest event of this size that we’ve ever had so whether you are a soccer fan or not, it’s a great opportunity to engage with different cultures and get to know a little bit about them as they are visiting our city and learning about us.”

As the 10 teams began working over the past few months, Maxwell said she’s been impressed by the cooperation among the many volunteers.

“The thing that makes me proud is seeing the spirit of collaboration and communication that is present already,” she said, “and it’s like anything else I feel like we undertake in Lee’s Summit. There’s this ‘let’s do this together’ mentality and because of that we are going to be poised to be one of the cities that gets the most attention and experiences the most visitors from the World Cup.”

For more information about the Lee’s Summit World Cup efforts, visit Goal Lee’s Summit.