KCI adds new flights for World Cup travel. And more are likely on the way
With the announcement of which countries will be coming to Kansas City in the group stage games in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, lots of flights are going to be needed for fans following their teams across the United States.
Kansas City International Airport is assisting with travel needs, as they’re adding eight new flights through American Airlines.
Justin Meyer, Deputy Director of Aviation for Kansas City, said he recently sent tenant carriers a list of 65 days and route-specific opportunities following the schedule release.
Meyer says American Airlines has already loaded flights between Kansas City and New York, as well as Kansas City and Atlanta. He also said that a Dutch airline is intending to try and operate some charter flights between Curaçao and Kansas City in order to bring fans to and from the island to KC for their national team’s matches.
“We are trying to be as proactive as possible and be as helpful as possible for our airline partners. That was really the intent of that message that outlined those 65 specific opportunities,” Meyer said. “The opportunity to make some additional money operating flights to and from Kansas City… those messages have been really well received from our airline partners.”
Meyer also said there may be opportunities for non-stop service from foreign nations to Kansas City, depending on if those countries will be in the city for base camps. Those base camp placements have yet to be released.
The NFL Draft prepared KCI for World Cup
The 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City gave KCI a good outlook at what to expect for the World Cup, according to Meyer. 650,000 people are expected to attend the World Cup in Kansas City, which would double the amount of people that came to Kansas City for the draft, which was at 312,000.
“The NFL Draft gave us a really good practice of what those peak arrivals look like, especially with some of the VIP arrivals, where you see a lot more usage of limousine service, or Uber and Lyft,” he said. “So we’re focused on that connection to ground transportation. That’s going to be something that really has our focus as we head into the World Cup.”
The larger airport carriers, such as Southwest, Delta, United Airlines, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, have already begun selling flight tickets for summer 2026, Meyer said. He said there isn’t a deadline for when flights must be added, especially due to the playoff section of the tournament, which runs from March 23-31.
He compared fans flying to see their countries play to fans doing the same thing when catching the Kansas City Chiefs play in the playoffs, which won’t be taking place this year.
“It’s typically the day after the AFC Championship that flights are between Kansas City and wherever the Super Bowl destination is,” Meyer said. “So I would expect that to happen, especially if some of the matchups that we’re hoping for in terms of top-tier teams end up happening for the round of 32 or for the quarterfinal.”
A document shared by Meyer showed the proposed opportunities for airlines traveling through Kansas City during the World Cup. July 8-10 showed flights from Atlanta and Vancouver to Kansas City, which would coincide with a possible matchup between Argentina and Portugal.
Kansas City’s World Cup schedule
These games are scheduled to be in Kansas City for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The games will be held at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, which will be referred to as Kansas City Stadium during the World Cup.
- Argentina vs. Algeria, 8 p.m. on June 16
- Curaçao vs. Ecuador, 7 p.m. on June 20
- Netherlands vs. Tunisia, 6 p.m. on June 25
- Austria vs. Algeria, 9 p.m. on June 27
- Round of 32 match, 8:30 p.m. on July 3
- Quarterfinal match, 8 p.m. on July 11
