Kansas City’s World Cup bid? ‘We don’t live in the world of hope here’ sums it up well
Cliff Illig helped build a personal fortune, Kansas City’s biggest private employer, and a fresh sports power largely on thinking big.
But when he thinks about how landing World Cup games in 2026 would impact Kansas City, his imagination is challenged.
“It’s almost impossible to anticipate,” he says.
Illig is the co-founder of Cerner, and a principal investor in the Sporting Kansas City soccer club. He and Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt co-chair the World Cup 2026 committee for Kansas City, which is making its case to U.S. Soccer and FIFA to be one of 10 or 11 North American host cities for the planet’s biggest sports event.
Economic impact estimates are up to $600 million for cities that host games. Full disclosure, this space often mocks economic impact estimates as inflated marketing gimmicks, but the World Cup is an exception — Brazil has been known to draw 30,000 or so fans alone, and a high percentage of fans traveling from out of town means less displaced spending.
FIFA officials are expected in Kansas City by the end of the year, but our case is already being formed and debated. We are among the smallest markets among finalists. Our public transportation is also below what FIFA typically wants.
On the positive side, we are uniquely positioned for convenience and exposure in the middle of the country — while other finalists are clustered in Florida, Texas and the East Coast, we’re the only spot between Denver, Dallas, Cincinnati and the Canadian border.
The Compass Minerals National Performance Center is among the best soccer facilities on the continent, and the bid also includes the Chiefs’ and Kansas Jayhawks’ indoor facilities. The Chiefs have committed to altering Arrowhead Stadium to FIFA’s standards.
Hunt would presumably see landing games here as a connection to his late father, who helped start Major League Soccer and sold the then-KC Wizards to Illig and the late Neal Patterson. KC Live watch parties have become the standard, and images of those crowds are distributed nationally. The passion and investment represented there has to count for something, right?
“If you talk to people around the country, they think Kansas City is a lock because of the soccer assets and the way we present ourselves around MLS and all that,” Illig said. “We don’t assume we’re a lock. We’re going to bust our buns.”
It all makes sense, but here’s a potential letdown scenario: FIFA appreciates what we offer but sees our relative lack of hotel rooms and transportation, combined with our geography and facilities, as a great fit for base camps but not games.
Base camps would be cool, and Illig thinks Kansas City could host as many as eight of the tournament’s 48 teams.
So we get something, but not the big thing.
“I share the same (concern),” said Mike Illig, Cliff’s son and Sporting co-owner.
There are a lot of moving pieces here. The new airport terminal will be done in plenty of time. Downtown can be improved, including with the long-discussed Park Deck over I-670 that would connect the Crossroads and Power & Light.
“We’re playing with multiple pieces on the board,” Cliff Illig said. “We’ve just got to move them around carefully, and make sure nobody ignores something important.”
The implications here are massive. MLS was created largely from the energy of the 1994 World Cup, the last played in America.
The league has grown massively in the 27 years since — MLS attendance has increased by more than 60% since 2000, for instance, and Forbes estimates 18 of the league’s 27 teams are now worth $500 million or more.
But there is still so much room for more. The league’s television viewership and ratings remain relatively low, and some teams in major markets, such as Denver, Chicago, Houston and Dallas, are underperforming.
The bet is that the World Cup can generate unprecedented soccer passion in America, converting new fans and growing deeper connections with new ones.
MLS coaches and executives often talk about the league’s growth on and off the field in terms of phases — 1.0 was the launch, 2.0 included a more strategic placing of franchises that grew the league’s popularity and credibility, and 3.0 is a more mature league with increasing stadium and roster investment, as well as continually better play.
A World Cup bump could mark 4.0 — a wider television audience, adding more casual fans to MLS’ hardcore supporters. The effect could be enormous on MLS expansion, global credibility, additional soccer-specific facilities and more.
Kansas City’s benefit could come in two parts, then. First with the worldwide exposure of games here and thousands of people spending money and hopefully coming back, and then with continuing growth of MLS and Sporting Kansas City.
That’s the hope, anyway.
“But we don’t live in the world of hope here,” Cliff Illig said. “Hope has never been a management strategy. So it’s up to us. We’ve got to go make our case.”
This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 5:00 AM.