The World Cup starts in one year. Here’s latest on tickets, teams coming to KC
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas City will host 6 matches of the 2026 World Cup, with the first KC match June 16.
- FIFA will use dynamic pricing and a lottery system for ticket sales this fall.
- Kansas City expects 650,000 visitors and will require 6,000 local volunteers.
Things are going to look vastly different in Kansas City in a year.
The 2026 World Cup will begin on June 11 and the first match in Kansas City will take place just days later. An estimated 650,000 fans are expected to travel to KC for the tournament.
KC2026 CEO Pam Kramer spoke at a World Cup host city event Monday in New York and wants to get the word out about soccer’s biggest event.
“I think there is still some education about the scope and scale of what’s coming, and then being very intentional about tying it all together with our transportation strategy, making sure people can get to all parts of the region,” Kramer said. “The operations and the fan experience have to go hand in glove.”
To get Kansas City ready for what’s to come, World Cup banners have been raised at Union Station.
Kramer said the World Cup games will be played in Kansas City but it’ll have a bigger impact than in the metro alone.
“I think it is important for us to think about all the people who live in the region, and for us in Kansas City, it’s particularly important because if you look at a map of the host cities, we are all alone in the middle,” she said. “So we really feel like we are representing the center of the country, right?”
With the games set to begin in one year, here’s what we know about the World Cup in Kansas City.
Which World Cup teams will play in KC?
The 2026 World Cup will be the biggest in history as the tournament expands to 48 teams from 32. So far, only 11 teams have qualified. That includes the co-hosts, the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The others are Argentina, Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, New Zealand, South Korea and Uzbekistan.
What teams are coming to Kansas City? That won’t be known until December when FIFA plays host to its splashy 2026 World Cup draw ceremony. That’s when the countries will learn in which of the 12 groups they’ll play.
Teams from groups E, F and J will play in Kansas City in the first round of games.
An Athletic story said the draw likely will be held in Las Vegas or Washington, D.C., although the date has yet to be announced. But it will happen during the heart of football season.
How to get tickets
For previous World Cup tournaments, FIFA has held a ticket lottery, and that is expected to take place in the fall.
The odds of getting a ticket may not be as long as, say, winning a Mega Millions jackpot, but demand will far outweigh supply.
Fans wanting to buy tickets should register their interest through FIFA’s website, which will provide updates on how to purchase. A New York Times story noted FIFA plans a dynamic pricing system for tickets, which means the greater demand, the more the tickets will cost.
FIFA is currently offering “right-to-buy” options for certain games, which will allow fans to skip to the front of the line to get tickets — for a price.
What will Arrowhead Stadium look like?
To get GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium ready for the World Cup, workers have temporarily removed roughly eight rows of seats from the north side of the stadium. But they will be back in place for the start of Chiefs season.
FIFA also will change the name of GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium for the tournament to Kansas City Stadium.
The Truman Sports Complex has acres of space for cars but much of that will be reserved for media needs, sponsorship areas and fan entertainment. Tailgating likely won’t be happening as Kansas City will lease 200 buses to get fans to and from games.
Additionally, roughly 6,000 volunteers will be needed just in Kansas City for the World Cup. There is more information on how to volunteer online.
KC match schedule
Here are the games that will be played in Kansas City.
June 16: Group J - Kansas City Stadium
June 20: Group E - Kansas City Stadium
June 25: Group F - Kansas City Stadium
June 27: Group J - Kansas City Stadium
Round of 32
July 3: Group K winner vs. Group D/E/I/J/L third place - Kansas City Stadium
Quarterfinal
July 11: Winner match 95 vs. Winner match 96 - Kansas City Stadium
This story was originally published June 11, 2025 at 6:30 AM.
