‘A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’: Kansas City celebrates winning World Cup 2026 bid

Kansas City soccer fans packed the the Power & Light District’s KC Live! area to the brim Thursday, with hundreds dripping with sweat and anticipation as the city awaited its fate as a potential host site for men’s soccer games during the 2026 World Cup.

Almost exactly an hour after the watch party started, the crowd erupted in cheers and chants of “Olé” as FIFA, international soccer’s governing body, announced that Kansas City would be one of the North American host cities for the 2026 edition of the global tournament.

The 97-degree weather didn’t cool fans’ enthusiasm.

“I was worried about the heat,” said Alex Chen, one of the many Kansas Citians in the crowd wearing USA soccer merchandise. “But it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

That’s also how Clark Hunt described winning the bid. The Chiefs’ chairman and CEO (and owner of Major League Soccer’s FC Dallas club) spoke to the crowd after the announcement, as did bid director Katherine Holland, mayor Quinton Lucas and Missouri lieutenant governor Mike Kehoe.

Clark’s father, Lamar Hunt, was influential to the growth of soccer in Kansas City and in America.

“This has always been a dream for my family and me,” Clark Hunt said. “The dream dates back to 1966, when my father watched the World Cup final between England and West Germany. He was captivated by the passion of the fans and the international flavor of the competition. He decided, right then and there, to bring the great sport of soccer to America.”

When it was Lucas’ turn to address the crowd, he started by asking how many people in attendance were from Kansas City. Almost the entire crowd roared back in excitement.

Francis Orallo grew up in Kansas City playing youth soccer and described himself as a lifelong fan. He said Kansas City has become not just a soccer city, but a soccer capital.

“Just look at the atmosphere here,” Orallo said. “It’s a watch party for an announcement about a sporting event in 2026.”

One of the fans in attendance who was not a Kansas City native, Mike Shorman moved to the area 10 years ago. Three years ago, he started a community soccer club called Pickup Soccer Kansas City after organizing pickup games for a while.

“We’ve had really, really diverse people from all over the world come and play here,” Shorman said.

Chen went to Kansas City soccer watch parties in 2014 to watch the U.S. national team compete in the World Cup. But in 2026, he’ll have the opportunity to see the game up close.

On Thursday, he reflected upon how far the city has come as a “soccer city.”

“It’s an affirmation that our city is, in fact, the soccer capital of America and one of the best cities to host a huge event like this in the country,” Chen said.

This story was originally published June 16, 2022 at 6:15 PM.