Kansas City is less than three months away from the largest sporting event in its history.
Being awarded six matches and securing four base camps for the 2026 FIFA World Cup came as a surprise to many people involved.
“I don't think any of us that have worked through this process, would have ever expected that,” said Kathy Nelson, president and CEO of Visit KC and the Greater Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation.
Nelson credits Kansas City’s investment in soccer facilities, its central location in the U.S. and entertainment opportunities for its desirability as a "home away from home."
Nelson says that momentum from more than a decade of sporting success and this upcoming tournament puts Kansas City in a good position to attract other large-scale international sporting events to the region.
Kansas City is a finalist city in the bid for the 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup. And if the U.S. is selected to host the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Nelson said Kansas City will have the unique benefit of boasting two available football stadiums for matches: the vacated GEHA Arrowhead Stadium, where this summer's games will be played, and the soon-to-be-constructed Chiefs stadium in Kansas City, Kansas.
In April, for the first time in more than 20 years, the city will host a WNBA preseason game between four-time champions Minnesota Lynx and the Nigerian Women's National Team.
Kansas City previously bid for a WNBA expansion team, but was not selected. Nelson said she expects Kansas City will have a permanent team within a few years.
“There's so much going on. It's almost like we can't get out of our way fast enough,” she said. “And I love that chaos and that pressure of making sure our city is coming to life and all the conventions that are happening. It's just such a robust time in our city.”
- Kathy Nelson, president and CEO of Visit KC and the Greater Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation
