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“It's a more complex process than I think people might understand. You've got the venue, you've got the team, you've got the hotel, you've got FIFA, you've got the host committee,” said Pam Kramer, CEO of KC2026, Kansas City’s World Cup organizing committee.
Kramer said FIFA could announce where each team will train within a matter of weeks, sooner than previously expected.
More than a dozen of the 48 World Cup teams have toured Kansas City as a potential base camp. The city is an attractive option because it’s centrally located among the other venues across Canada and Mexico and the U.S.
“Kansas City is thrilled with our outstanding match draw and are excited for base camp opportunities that will showcase more of our community to the world. We look forward to learning more and sharing more as FIFA and national sides share their base camp selections,” Mayor Quinton Lucas posted on Facebook Tuesday.
As the first day of the tournament in Kansas City — June 16 — nears, KC2026 is continuing to plan for the festivities, including the FIFA Fan Fest at the National World War I Museum and Memorial. They’re also interviewing candidates to fill 6,000 volunteer roles across the city.
Kramer says small business owners should start planning how they can tap into the opportunity the World Cup will bring, too.
“When we have teams that will be here for 30 plus days, there's a chance for our community to engage in a very different way,” Kramer said.
The key, Kramer says, is being culturally aware — knowing whether international visitors are used to tipping at restaurants, for instance, or what time they typically eat dinner.
KC2026 says it plans to host hospitality training workshops, and the “KC Game Plan” playbook offers insights and suggestions for how small businesses can strategize and market to make the most of the estimated 650,000 visitors expected during the tournament.
Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to come from Argentina, a country that’s known for its passionate fanbase that follows the team during the World Cup. Argentinian airline Aerolíneas Argentinas added two new nonstop flights between Kansas City and Buenos Aires coinciding with the team’s match vs. Algeria June 16.
American Airlines is also adding flights between Kansas City and fellow host cities New York and Atlanta during the tournament, according to MCI spokesperson Jackson Overstreet. A direct flight to Kansas City from Curaçao, a first-time participant and the smallest World Cup nation, is expected as well.
