Kansas City as a World Cup host site in 2026? The U.S. national soccer team can see it

Standing 90 feet tall and as many wide, Kansas City’s “WE WANT THE WORLD CUP” banner, draped on the side of a building in the Crossroads Arts District, is pretty hard to miss.

Especially for those U.S. Men’s National Team players in town for soccer’s Gold Cup.

“We can see it out the window right now,” defender Walker Zimmerman said with a chuckle during a virtual news conference call Wednesday.

The bright blue banner featuring white lettering and confetti-like flags of countries around the world went up Monday morning as Kansas City stepped up its efforts to become a host city for the 2026 World Cup.

Every time the USMNT leaves its hotel, the banner greets them.

“We can actually see that sign from our hotel, which is why we were laughing,” Zimmerman said.

Kansas City is one of 17 American cities vying to be one of 10 host sites for the 2026 World Cup. The decision on the final 10 will be made by FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, in the first half of 2022.

But it’s not just a banner that’s caught the national team’s attention. Coach Gregg Berhalter reflected on the city’s excellent soccer facilities last week, saying other teams around the country are trying to catch up with Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City club in that regard.

The national team is playing all three of its group-stage games at Sporting KC’s Children’s Mercy Park and is practicing at the club’s Compass Minerals National Performance Center. Both are top-flight facilities in MLS.

Berhalter is also impressed by the soccer culture that has developed in Kansas City. He sees not only a massive banner, but streetcars decorated in Sporting KC imagery and permanent Sporting KC murals plastered on downtown buildings. The new women’s pro team, KC NWSL, is struggling but is also enjoying devoted support from fans.

One of those Sporting KC murals, on a building at the corner of 17th and Main streets not far from the new World Cup banner, has been in place since 2018.

“(Sporting KC) definitely has a footprint in the city, and that speaks to the soccer culture that’s here in Kansas City,” Berhalter said.

Zimmerman, an MLS player since 2013 and current defender with the relatively new club in Nashville, called Kansas City “a great host city.”

“I think Kansas City has a great environment,” he said. “Their fans are very passionate. It’s a very difficult place to play because of how intense the fans are and the environment that all the fans give.”

The U.S. doesn’t have to wait long for its next game at Children’s Mercy Park. The squad plays Martinique Thursday night, with kickoff set for 8:30 p.m.

Zimmerman is looking forward it.

“It’s one of our favorite places to play now, when those fans are rooting for you rather than against you,” he said.