This is the first edition of KCUR’s newsletter on the World Cup in Kansas City. You can sign up here to receive biweekly updates leading up to the biggest event in Kansas City history.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is nearly here, and Kansas City is the place to be.
Over the course of the next few months, Kansas City will leap into the international spotlight, with more than 650,000 visitors from around the world expected to come into town.
The pressure will be huge, and I’m not just talking about the teams playing in the tournament (although there are some heavy-hitters heading our way).
That’s because Kansas City is the smallest of 16 metros selected to host. We had more work to do to prepare for that responsibility than anyone else. And some of these changes could transform Kansas City for years — maybe generations — to come.
High stakes? Absolutely. That’s why KCUR is launching this special newsletter to cover the 2026 World Cup in Kansas City, from the massive preparations to the record-breaking event itself to the cleanup afterwards.
We’ll bring you the latest reporting from KCUR’s newsroom here in town, plus our partners and collaborators around the country, to see how things are shaping up. Plus, we’ll share info on game tickets, fun happenings, and more news you can use.
Here’s a roundup of what you need to know right now, and check out KCUR’s complete guide to the World Cup here.
Your 2026 World Cup primer
Mexico City will kick off the World Cup with an opening ceremony on June 11, and the final will be held in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on July 19.
Kansas City will host six matches at GEHA Arrowhead Stadium, which will be renamed "Kansas City Stadium" for the tournament. The countries playing matches here include returning World Cup champion Argentina, plus Algeria, Austria, Curaçao, Ecuador, the Netherlands and Tunisia.
Here is your KC schedule:
- Group Stage: Argentina vs. Algeria — Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 7 p.m.
- Group Stage: Ecuador vs. Curacao — Saturday, June 20, 2026 at 7 p.m.
- Group Stage: Tunisia vs. Netherlands — Thursday, June 25, 2026 at 6 p.m.
- Group Stage: Algeria vs. Austria — Saturday, June 27, 2026 at 9 p.m.
- Round of 32: TBD — Friday, July 3, 2026
- Quarter-Final: TBD — Saturday, July 11, 2026
See the full schedule for all the matches.
How to get World Cup tickets
Ticketing for all games — including the ones in Kansas City — happens in phases through a lottery draw system.
For access to all ticket sales, you’ll need to register a profile through FIFA’s site. If you entered the Random Selection Draw and you successfully snagged those tickets, notices went out this week. So congrats to all the lucky people who got selected!
If you haven't gotten tickets yet, don't worry: At some point closer to the tournament's start, fans can purchase last minute tickets on a first-come, first-served basis. Plus you'll be able to get resale tickets through an official FIFA marketplace.
Oh, and the prices are going to be steep. A pair of tickets to a Kansas City match starts at a minimum of $280 and can run into the thousands. FIFA has come under fire for those sky-high prices, and while it will offer some $60 seats later on, those tickets will be very very limited.
Why did KC get picked for the World Cup?
Kansas City has a long history with soccer. You can learn more about some of the early immigrants who first brought the game to the city here, from KCUR’s podcast A People’s History of Kansas City.
And it was Kansas City businessman Lamar Hunt, more famously known as the patriarch of the Chiefs, who was instrumental in developing professional soccer leagues and attracting the country’s last FIFA World Cup, back in 1994.
Subscribe to A People's History of Kansas City now, and look forward to our upcoming episode on the rise of women's soccer.
What else KCUR is reporting on right now
We’ve got a lot of open questions about how Kansas City is preparing for this tournament, which KCUR will continue reporting on over the next few months and beyond. Here are some of our top issues to track:
Home base: Beyond a place for matches, Kansas City is also a desirable spot for World Cup teams to make their training camps and home bases — after all, we're the most centrally situated host city.
Argentina officially picked Kansas City as its home base, and will be practicing at Compass Minerals National Performance Center in Kansas City, Kansas, the training facility for Sporting KC. Which means superstar Lionel Messi might be spending a lot of time in town.
Team England will be using Swope Soccer Village, the former base for Sporting KC, as their base, and they booked a hotel in Prairie Village. The Netherlands are headed to the Kansas City Current facilities in Riverside, Missouri.
And Algeria seems to be looking at Lawrence, although no official announcements have been made yet.
Volunteers: Thousands of volunteers will be mobilized to help coordinate not just the games, but also the FIFA Fan Fest hosted at the National WWI Museum and Memorial. Accepted applicants started to get offers this week.
Transportation: The city’s organizing group KC2026 has released a dedicated transit plan for the World Cup, but the actual cost and how well it’s implemented has yet to be seen.
Small businesses: Will anyone other than FIFA be able to make money on this event? Kansas City sure hopes so. The city is training business owners and workers on how to prepare, loosening alcohol rules for bars and restaurants, making permitting easier and attempting to fill empty storefronts before visitors arrive.
Housing and hotels: A lot of visitors means a lot of filled hotel rooms — and short term rentals. Kansas City got lots of applications for its special short term rental permit. Not all neighbors are happy about that.
Heat: If you haven’t been to Kansas City in the summer, you’re in for a very hot and humid treat. Playing sports outdoors in the summer can be potentially dangerous, and many people will likely not be prepared for the temperatures awaiting them here.
See you on the pitch
Whether you’re planning to come to Kansas City to attend one of these games or festivals, you’re a resident figuring out how the event will affect your day-to-day life, or you are Lionel Messi himself looking for the best place to eat while you’re in town – welcome!
You can look forward to this newsletter every other Wednesday through the tournament’s end. We’ll get through this together, and hopefully see some darn good soccer up close.
