KC named worst World Cup city for fan experience: Can we learn something? | Opinion
A recent study found Kansas City to be the worst FIFA World Cup 2026 host city for fan experience.
Yikes.
Let’s get a few things out of the way: There’s some issues with this study and many people might want to totally discount it. First, it’s conducted by a sports gambling site, the Action Network, and some of the “facts” seem questionable. But I’d be lying if I told you that I didn’t disagree with some of the findings.
Not to come down too hard on a city and a region that I’ve called home since 2007, but we’ve got more work to do to become a world-class city.
The analysis ranked all 16 World Cup 2026 host cities across five categories, including accessibility, cost, atmosphere, safety and weather, and hotel access — and being an unlikely World Cup host city notwithstanding, Kansas City finished dead last.
According to the report, Kansas City’s score was held back by a longer airport-to-stadium journey, low walkability around Arrowhead Stadium and limited nearby bar and hotel density.
I did not agree with some of the findings — the estimated 136-minute airport-to-stadium journey, the longest listed trip in the study, seemed dubious to me. On a good day, I can get to Kansas City International Airport from Independence in about 30 minutes. With traffic or other delays, it could take 45 minutes to an hour to get there.
“For traveling fans, the game itself is only 90 minutes, but everything around it can define the entire trip,” Action Network spokesperson Gautham Marthandan said in a press release. “Kansas City faces one of the toughest matchday setups in the index, with a longer airport-to-stadium journey, low walkability and limited nearby hotel and bar density all shaping the fan experience around Kansas City (Arrowhead) Stadium.”
Yet, even in the midst of the mild criticism leveled against Kansas City in the study, there were some real nuggets local civic leaders should use to help usher in a new era for all Kansas Citians.
Low walkability
For example, the study found the area around Arrowhead isn’t pedestrian-friendly or walkable — where’s the lie? I’ve rode my bicycle from my place in Independence to a Royals game before, and let me tell you, playing Frogger with local motorists on game day here is not for the faint of heart. I detest riding my bike on the sidewalk, but on this particular journey from my home to the Truman Sports Complex or the nearby Rock Island Trail, aggressive motorists left me no choice but to do so.
In fairness, we’ve made strides in the region to become a more inclusive city for all means of transportation (the recent expansion of the KC Streetcar to the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the Berkley Riverfront comes to mind). The infrastructure for walking and biking safely is better too, but more comprehensive work needs to be done. I’ve been on my bike in Chicago (not a World Cup host city) too many times to count, and always feel safer there than I do in traffic here or in my hometown of St. Louis.
Limited nearby hotel and bar options
Another finding that caught my attention: the lack of hotels and bars around Arrowhead Stadium. None of us should be surprised by that conclusion. There’s a dearth of lodging and entertainment options in the area, but we’ve always known that. There’s a reason Chiefs owner Clark Hunt hightailed it to Kansas when the Chiefs and Royals failed to convince Jackson County taxpayers to finance their new homes there and in downtown Kansas City a few years back, and the lack of entertainment options was among them.
A 12-member task force formed in Jackson County to reimagine the 400-acre Truman Sports Complex must keep this in mind when developing plans to transform the aging stadiums into a year-round hub of housing, shopping and entertainment after the teams leave the area in 2031.I’ve been to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California (part of greater Los Angeles, a 2026 World Cup host city), and the surrounding entertainment district there is second to none. In fact, I walked a few miles from the Airbnb I stayed nearby to attend a Rams game last fall, and not once did I feel unsafe while on foot.
Crime and weather
When it comes to the study’s findings on crime and weather, the number of homicides in Kansas City — a huge indicator of violent crime — is trending down this year, with only 48 as of Wednesday, according to police department data. And most locals already know the summer months here tend to be the hottest of the year.
The five-year average for homicides at this time of year is 61, according to Mayor Quinton Lucas.
“Much more work to do, but I appreciate all who are working to save lives in our community,” Lucas wrote Wednesday in a Facebook post.
As some of my longtime friends here like to say, KC is The Town — I’d put the affordability, amenities, nightlife, art and culture, entrepreneurship and culinary scene up against any midsize city in America. And that list includes cities I’ve visited such as Austin, Louisville, Nashville, Indianapolis and others with a similar demographic.
I really do love living in Kansas City. When I first moved to the area almost 20 years ago, I could not have envisioned this place as my forever landing spot. But this is home now, and I have no plans to leave anytime soon.
Because of that commitment, I’d love to see our local leaders galvanize behind this study and others to make Kansas City a better place for all of us.
