Kansas City area soccer facilities scouted for 2026 World Cup practice sites

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Many people believed the competition was over when Kansas City beat out other towns across the United States to be one of 16 host cities for the World Cup. However, it was just the beginning.

Anyone who has a soccer field, locker room facilities and airport access can be considered to host a team.

“Any of the 48 teams that qualify for the 2026 men’s World Cup - they have the opportunity to choose their team basecamp,” said Caitlin Carducci, KC Current General Manager.

Kansas City has seen quite a few soccer officials from multiple countries as teams search for a home base.

Sporting KC’s Com Minerals National Performance Center garnered global attention.

“We’ve had consistent that this is the best facility we have to offer here in the U.S.,” said Sporting KC Vice President Josh Blackford.

The facility offers amenities that almost no other athletic facility has. One of the biggest boosters at the facility is soccer legend David Beckham.

“To have someone of that stature to share positive reviews about what we’ve done and what we’ve built here in Kansas City, it just means so much to us,” Blackford said.

Visiting officials also gave the Kansas City Current’s University of Kansas Health System Training Center in Riverside strong reviews.

“These are teams that have seen everything, every facility all over the world,” Carducci said. “They’ve seen club facilities, they’ve seen federation facilities, and for them to come here and be blown away.”

The University of Kansas Soccer Facility at Rock Chalk Park has also been a must-visit site on officials’ lists.

“I don’t know what they expected when they came out, but they were blown away, I think, with all the resources we have here, laundry, athletic training, we have a cold tub here,” said Jason Booker, KU Deputy Athletics Director.

Booker added that KU’s sports history is an additional bonus.

“We 16 sports programs every day, so we kind of know how to manage it,” Booker said.

Along with each site, there is also a hotel that would host up to 120 of the team’s travelling party. The Sporting KC hotel is the Sheraton in Overland Park.

All three sites have access to an airport. KU would use the Forbes Field in Topeka, which is 20 minutes away.

KC’s central location is another bonus for being a World Cup host city.

“We are smack-dab in the middle of the country,” Carducci said.

“So if you play in L.A. or Miami, you’re a three-hour flight from everywhere,” Booker said.

There is also something important offered at all three sites.

“One of the key things they look for is privacy,” Blackford said. “They want this intimate, private environment that their teams can focus on soccer.”

Each of the three facilities offers multiple grass practice fields and the of proven organizations.

Overall, all three sites expect to be hosting a World Cup team. While the slogan is in place, it leaves just one question: what teams will come?

Copyright 2025 KCTV. All rights reserved.