World Cup games are coming to Kansas City. Johnson County will feel the impact, too
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Johnson County will serve as a key lodging and transit hub for World Cup fans.
- Kansas has invested $28 million, including $13 million for transit and security.
- The World Cup is projected to bring $163 million in economic impact to Kansas, per KC2026.
A 2026 FIFA World Cup kickoff event at the Aspiria campus in Overland Park last weekend served as a reminder on multiple levels.
One, it can be blistering hot in America’s heartland in June, when four group stage games will be played at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Two elimination games will be played in July.
Also, the Kansas side of the state line will play a major connective and cooperative role in staging the world’s largest sporting event.
Not just the Compass Minerals National Performance Center in Kansas City, Kansas, set to serve as a training facility for a team as part of its base camp. England national team coach Thomas Tuchel recently visited the center on a scouting mission.
Or Lawrence, which also is a leading candidate to host a team and base camp.
But Johnson County as well: By population, it’s the largest county in Kansas, the second largest in the metro area, and with its 4,900 hotel rooms and other short-term rentals looms as a headquarters for fans from across the globe.
“We’ll be a big destination for visitors to stay,” Overland Park mayor Curt Skoog said.
Some 650,000 fans are expected to visit Kansas City next June and July. For those who won’t travel here, Kansas City and the region will be part of the broadcast narrative. Nearly 3 billion viewers watched at least one minute of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“This is a great opportunity to showcase Johnson County to the world,” said Mike Kelly, Johnson County Board of Commissioners chairman. “We realize there’s something special here in the metro region and it doesn’t stop at our jurisdictional lines.
“It’s our time to shine.”
Kansas has provided $28 million to KC2026, which includes state and federal dollars; that’s about 17% of the funding source, according to materials provided to officials. The largest portion, about $13 million, is earmarked for transportation and security.
The event is expected to generate an estimated $163 million in economic impact to the state, according to KC2026 materials.
Kansas counties will be heavily involved in the transportation system, and Johnson County will provide 50 branded busses. The Johnson County United busses will take visitors to and from the airport, games, fanfest and other hubs like the Overland Park Convention Center and Lenexa City Center in direct and circular routes.
Expect World Cup watch parties to be part of the festivities at places like the farmer’s market in downtown Overland Park, which will reopen as Clock Tower Landing next spring.
“One thing we’re focusing on, besides all the visitors, is we want to make sure our residents have an opportunity to participate,” Skoog said. “This is a once in a lifetime experience.”
That’s even true for someone who has participated in a World Cup. Overland Park’s Matt Besler played defender for the United States when it reached the knockout stage during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
But he didn’t experience the World Cup festivities.
“You have such a tunnel vision as a player, and you’re in a bubble,” Besler said. “You’re there to do a job and you’ve got to be locked in and focused. I have to admit, I missed a lot of the World Cup.
“So, selfishly, I’m really excited for this opportunity because I don’t have the pressures of performing and playing. I get to experience it for myself as fan.”
But Besler, one of the greatest players in Sporting KC history, developed a sense of Kansas City’s regard while playing across the globe. Whenever there was a big game on the world stage, he’d marvel at the crowd reaction from watch parties at the Power and Light District in Kansas City.
Now, he’ll get to feel the same sense of pride when the world comes to his home state.