Missouri's National Guard troops to be deployed to Kansas City for World Cup
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Missouri will activate 110 National Guard service members for World Cup security duties.
- Executive order signed to activate anemergency operations center to coordinate resources.
- FBI agents embedding with World Cup security planning.
There will be over 100 Missouri National Guard troops deployed to Kansas City for the World Cup, as well as a revolving group of state highway troopers and FBI agents to assist local police.
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe said during a press conference on Monday that the Missouri National Guard will activate 110 service members, mostly from the Missouri National Guard’s quick reaction force. The team is a military police unit trained to respond to civil disturbances.
“The National Guard’s primary mission is to serve as a visible security deterrent at three locations, Kansas City Stadium, the FIFA fan festival and the Kansas City International and Kansas City downtown airports,” Kehoe said.
Before the press conference, Kehoe signed an executive order to activate the state’s emergency operations center to facilitate communication with federal agencies and other states and coordinate resources between communities.
The executive order says the event could bring as many as 650,000 visitors to the Kansas City metropolitan area from June 11 to July 19, though it’s unclear how accurate that estimate will be. The estimate is higher than all but four host cities, and more than double what Atlanta and Toronto are expecting.
Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said the department has been studying sites and fan behavior to build readiness for the event. The FIFA Fan Festival will be monitored via drone, require transparent bags and be surveilled by drones.
Kehoe added that he believes the combined forces will be able to handle
“Between the National Guard, Highway Patrol, FBI, KCPD and, as we mentioned earlier, a call out to other law enforcement agencies across the state, manpower-wise, we believe we’ll have it covered,” he said.
Andrew Bailey, co-director of the FBI who previously served as Missouri Attorney General, said the agency’s Kansas City field office is “embedding personnel directly into World Cup security planning” across the region.
Bailey said there are “no known threats” to the World Cup games, but that the bureau will be vigilant.
“The threat landscape is ever-evolving,” he said. “What I’m here to tell you is that Kansas City is ready.”
This story was originally published April 13, 2026 at 6:05 PM.
