Kansas City awaits World Cup decision: ‘We have the soccer box checked’
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Kansas City will host games in 2026 World Cup
Kansas City made an aggressive bid to be one of the U.S. host cities for the enormous international event put on by FIFA. Arrowhead will host the games, and it will be a massive economic boost.
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Will the Power & Light District burst into another scene of soccer euphoria? If so, a single goal won’t provide the detonation, but a goal realized after seven years of planning.
That’s how long city, regional and sports teams officials have planned and crafted Kansas City’s bid for a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, coming to the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The U.S. cities selected as sites for games will be announced in New York on a program televised by FS1 starting at 4 p.m. Central time. Kansas City is one of 16 U.S. cities that submitted bids for what appears to be 10 or 11 destinations.
KC Live! in the Power & Light District will open at 3:30 p.m. for a watch party
Katherine Holland, KC2026 World Cup bid director, expects good news.
“I feel really good,” Holland said. “I feel so positive about the bid we put together and the passion for soccer in this community. We have the soccer box checked.”
Among the prizes for a winning bid in the heart of America are tens of thousands of visitors from around the globe filling fan fests and an estimated economic impact of $160 million to $620 million, according to one study.
The men’s World Cup draws the biggest audience for a sports event. Some 3.5 billion watched part of the 2018 event. The next men’s World Cup, in Qatar, will be played in November and December.
Kansas City landing a bid would also mean a payoff for the region’s remarkable growth and commitment to the sport. A strength of Kansas City’s bid is a soccer culture that’s been defined by championship teams and state-of-the-art facilities.
It dates back decades with Chiefs founder Lamar Hunt, who was instrumental in creating the North American Soccer League and Major League Soccer. He founded the Kansas City Wiz of MLS, which became the Wizards and then Sporting Kansas City.
Kansas City has become a regular stop for matches played by the U.S. men’s and women’s national teams and often play to sellouts at Children’s Mercy Park.
The Kansas City Current of the National Women’s Soccer League is constructing a new training facility in Riverside and has announced plans for a riverfront stadium downtown.
If Kansas City is selected, World Cup games would be played at Arrowhead Stadium. Some work would be needed, including creating space in the corners to accommodate a soccer field’s dimensions The Chiefs, along with Sporting Kansas City, are bid partners.
Other bidding cities: Dallas/Fort Worth, Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington, D.C., Cincinnati, Denver, New York/New Jersey, Boston, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle.
According to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, Kansas City is the second-smallest metropolitan area that submitted a bid, ahead of only Nashville.
But location may favor Kansas City. It’s location is central in the U.S. and North America, making it easier for teams and fans to travel to different locations.
“We have a smaller market and maybe not seen as a destination market by some, although that perception is changing,” Holland said. “But being centrally located, I think will be an advantage. I’d be disappointed if they flanked the coasts with matches. There would be a gaping hole.”
The games are expected to be played in June and July 2026. That year, the men’s World Cup will have expanded to a 48-nation field. Sixty games are expected to be played in the United States with 10 each in Mexico and Canada.
The Mexican bid cities: Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara. Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton are the bidding Canadian cities, and there has been speculation that Edmonton is out of the running. The city’s mayor has said there’s been no contact with FIFA.
The World Cup is more than about games. Teams set up base camps in the host country along with their fans. Even a city without games could be part of the World Cup experience and share in the economic impact.
Kansas City will throw its Power & Light party no matter the decision on games.
“This was such a tremendous effort, a huge collaboration on both sides of the state line and competing against cities and areas much larger than ours, we’re going to celebrate the effort regardless,” Holland said.
This story was originally published June 16, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Kansas City awaits World Cup decision: ‘We have the soccer box checked’."
