Here’s how much those FIFA World Cup bus fares will cost around Kansas City
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas City ConnectKC day passes for Regional Direct routes will cost $5.
- Stadium Direct bus service to Arrowhead will cost $15 (only for match ticket holders).
- ConnectKC advance booking opens in early May through the KC26 app.
For the price of a cup of coffee, or a side dish at a barbecue restaurant, you’ll be able to ride a bus to FIFA World Cup activities and games in Kansas City this summer.
A day pass for the “Regional Direct” routes — from 15 spots in the metro area to the FIFA Fan Festival at the World War I Memorial and Museum — will be $5.
A weekly pass will be $25 and a tournament pass will cost $50.
The “Stadium Direct” route, from four park-and-ride locations and the FIFA Fan Fest to Kansas City (Arrowhead) Stadium, will be $15 round trip. Space on these buses will be exclusive to those holding match tickets.
Coming in from the airport? That’s a free ride, with the dropoff point at the ConnectKC26 bus mall at 27th and Main — two blocks from the Fan Fest.
All bus service will require advance booking, which will open in early May through the KC26 app (available at KC2026.com). Fans can be notified as soon as booking opens by signing up for tournament transportation updates at kansascityfwc26.com/getting-around-kc/.
Kansas City’s service, dubbed “ConnectKC,” includes a fleet of more than 200 buses. The system will operate from June 11 until July 11, funnelling fans from 15 metro locations downtown. It will also transport fans from the airport to downtown, and from four different points to Arrowhead Stadium on game days.
The price points contrast with transportation announcements in other U.S. World Cup cities this week. Boston’s World Cup host committee said round-trip bus fare from downtown Boston to Gillette Stadium, 27 miles away in Foxborough, will be $95.
The Athletic reports that a round-trip bus ticket from Penn Station in New York City to MetLife Stadium in neighboring East Rutherford, New Jersey, site of eight matches — including the championship game — will cost $100. A ticket on that route normally costs $13.
Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer of New York called it a “shakedown.”
FIFA isn’t setting the transportation prices, but host cities seek to recoup revenues they’ve taken on to hold the world’s largest sporting event. FIFA rakes in all income from ticketing, media deals, in-stadium sponsorship and stadium parking fees.
Host cities will assume the costs for transportation, security, fan fests and police escorts for teams and FIFA officials.
This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 6:11 PM.