How Kansas City is gearing up for the World Cup one year ahead of its arrival

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - One year ahead of its arrival, Kansas City is gearing up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in several ways.

Kansas City is one of 16 cities – and the smallest – that will host games. An estimated 650,000 soccer fans from around the world are expected to visit the city during the month-long tournament.

“We’re on track,” said Lindsey Douglas, Chief Operating Officer for KC26, the organization tasked with planning and executing the Olympic-sized event in Kansas City. “We don’t have all the answers yet because we’re planning, but we are leading in a number of areas.”

Douglas said one of the areas they’re ahead on is transportation. Kansas City was the first host city to secure 200 buses to be used during the games.

Arrowhead Stadium will be home to six matches, while the FIFA Fan Festival, on the south lawn of the National WWI Museum & Memorial, will accommodate 25,000 fans at a time.

Douglas said KC26 is still refining its park-and-ride transportation network that will get fans to and from those hot spots, the airport and hotels.

“We want them to be in locations people are going to already be,” Douglas added.

Ride-share drivers like Matthew Dunn are looking to cash in like he did during the Big 12 Tournament in March.

“I think I made $300-$400. That was the first time I got a $100 tip. So, magnify that by 10, and that’s probably going to be lots of money to be made,” Dunn said. “I’m sure there will be an unlimited number of surges during that time.”

According to Visit KC, international visitors will stay in the area for an average of nine days. During the bid process, the city proved there are at least 55,000 hotel rooms within two and a half hours of the city, a requirement for any city to become a World Cup host. Short-term rentals were not included.

At the Jockey Club in Riverside, owner Tim Augspurg is hoping for a boost in business.

Augspurg’s bar, which s cold beer and hot BBQ, is a 10-minute drive from the KC Current Training Facility – one of three potential team base camps.

“It’s going to be like crazy for us,” Augspurg predicted. “I probably will have to hire more people.”

Base camps will serve as “home away from home” for the three teams who will train, rest and prepare in the region. Sporting KC’s training facility in Kansas City, Kansas, and Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence are the other two sites identified.

“Whatever group is up there, I’ll try to focus on some type of cuisine that they might like, besides BBQ,” Augspurg said.

Safety and security will be paramount during the tournament. Douglas said KC26 has over 240 people – at local, state and federal – currently working on venue-specific and community-specific security plans

“Everything from transportation security, crowd control, cyber security, emergency response and medical care,” Douglas added.

They’re also exploring fan behavior and creating cultural profiles to educate law enforcement. And, unlike the 2023 NFL Draft, which called for 1,000 volunteers and attracted 312,000 fans, KC26 will need at least 6,000 volunteers.

“They’re really the greeters to all our visitors whether coming from the U.S. or North America or from other countries,” said Douglas.

It’s a herculean effort, in the heart of America, with one goal in mind for organizers: to put Kansas City in the best light on the world stage.

The estimated economic impact on the region from the FIFA World Cup is $653 million, according to Visit KC.

To learn more about volunteering during the games, click here.

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