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Watch enough sports reporting, and you’ll be certain to notice a recurring cliche: The winning team simply “wanted it more.”
Who went onto the pitch with more drive and hunger? Who ignored the odds against them and was able to manifest victory, however improbable, into existence?
If “hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup” were a sport in and of itself, these past few months have shown that perhaps Kansas City wants this more than other cities.
Even diehard locals know the challenges in selling Kansas City as a destination — until you convince someone to visit once, and they’re dying to come back. The past few years have proved the real possibility of changing that reputation, thanks in no small part to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.
This summer, with six World Cup matches set, Kansas City is now guaranteed as much gametime as Philadelphia, Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area, and more than any of the individual Mexican cities. That’s despite being smaller than all of them in both population and media market size, with less experience than most with hosting events of this scale.
The news that Algeria would be setting its base camp in Lawrence, Kansas, at the University of Kansas’ Rock Chalk Park means that our region will see four national teams stationed here for the tournament. Only a single other metro will host that many.
Plus, no other city is playing host to three different teams in FIFA’s Pot 1, AKA the very top tier of competitors (Argentina, the Netherlands and England, for those keeping track at home).
“Teams don’t choose base camps lightly,” said KC2026 CEO Pam Kramer in a news release. “When they come to Kansas City, they’re choosing world-class training environments and a region with deep soccer roots and an authentic, knowledgeable culture of hospitality. Hosting four national teams isn’t symbolic — it’s confirmation that our region stands among the best in the world to prepare for, support and inspire elite competition.”
As The Athletic reported, it wasn’t just that the BBQ was tempting (although I’m hoping soccer fans all discover LC’s on their way to the stadium).
Kansas City leaders were aggressively welcoming to teams, coordinating with Sporting KC and the Current to roll out the welcome wagon — even opening up a fourth base camp location, which wasn’t previously on the table, in order to accommodate Team England.
Call that Midwest nice. Call that wanting it more.
Either way, KC2026 built the city an enormous stage, where in less than 100 days it hopes to show off Kansas City to its biggest audience yet. As you know from reading this newsletter, it’ll take a lot more than burnt ends to nail the delivery – although those certainly won’t hurt.
Feds fumble fan fest funding? Forsooth!
Kansas City is supposed to receive nearly $80 million in federal funding for public safety measures before the World Cup, which would help pay for officer overtime, buy more cruisers and security upgrades. “Supposed to” being the operative phrase.
FEMA has not yet distributed a combined $625 million to World Cup host cities that it had promised, due to a nearly monthlong shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. That money was part of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” passed by Congress last year, but it was supposed to be awarded by the end of January.
Now, local officials are warning that events like fan festivals will need to be scaled back or even canceled if that money isn’t in hand yet.
“The drop-dead date is immediate. We need commitments from partners to help supplement our officers just because of the scope, scale and duration of the games,” Kansas City Deputy Police Chief Joe Mabin testified recently at a U.S. House Homeland Security committee hearing on Capitol Hill.
“They need assurances that they will get reimbursed for overtime, for travel expenses and for lodging. So we need that information right now.”
Find out about other big challenges facing the World Cup, from NPR.
100 days out, how are businesses preparing?
Tuesday marked 100 days before the World Cup comes to Kansas City. Yikes!
“This is our tryout,” said The Combine owner Alan Kneeland in an interview with KCUR’s Up To Date. His pizza and pub on Troost Avenue is planning to show matches on its 14 TV screens, and Kneeland says he’s doing staff stress tests, updating the restaurant’s social media strategy and thinking about menu changes to cater to an international audience.
For Dulcinea Herrera of Cafe Corazon, which offers Argentine food and drinks like yerba mate at three locations around town, the World Cup crowds will be a chance to show off and share their culture even more widely.
Kansas City’s Northland is planning its own series of World Cup watch parties, sprinkled across North Kansas City, Liberty and other areas north of the river. The events will have food trucks, kids’ activities and more attractions, and they’re sponsored by GoNorthKC, a partnership between Clay and Platte counties to capitalize on the tournament’s tourism boom.
Meanwhile, up to 15,000 soccer fans are expected to flock to the Lawrence area during the World Cup, and local officials are working with businesses and restaurants to get ready.
Also excited about visitors: Kansas City-area churches, who hope to act as an “anchor” to out-of-towners looking to practice their faith while in town.
Parking problems
Who’s excited to shell out more than $100 for the joy of parking at Arrowhead Stadium? For some of Kansas City’s World Cup matches, a single parking pass tends to sit around $125, including for spots compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Parking for the quarterfinal game, however, could cost you $225. Consider taking one of the “stadium direct” shuttles around the metro — these buses are free for ticket holders and will connect to five park-and-ride spots around the metro.
That will also be better than asking a friend to help with drop-off and pickup. Anyone who attended Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour dates at Arrowhead can testify that traffic gets to be a real mess around that area.
Kickin’ the ball around
- Emergency preparations: Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly last month declared a state of emergency ahead of the World Cup, in order to free up resources and get federal assistance for transportation, emergency services, public safety and more. However, the legislature must vote to extend a disaster declaration beyond 15 days — and even though the House overwhelmingly approved the extension, the Senate refused. (The Kansas City Star)
- Violence in Mexico: FIFA President Gianni Infantino says he’s confident that Mexico will be able to host its World Cup games despite a wave of violence from drug cartels after the military killed a powerful drug lord. (AP)
- Drink up, Kansas: A Kansas bill would extend liquor sales to 23 hours a day for the World Cup. Proponents say it would allow the state’s bars and restaurants to compete with Missouri — which has already passed a similar law, meaning soccer fans could just cross the border to keep drinking. (Kansas Reflector)
- Courting Argentina: A contingent of Visit KC folks recently took a trip to Buenos Aires on a “media and trade mission,” hoping to strengthen connections before upwards of 100,000 Argentina fans head to KC. (The Kansas City Star)
- Ticket demand: Despite claiming that “every” World Cup match is already sold out, FIFA offered fans even more chances to purchase tickets. Was demand not as high as they advertised? Or more realistically, did FIFA simply price tickets far too high for most people to afford them? (The Athletic)
A little housekeeping
You may have noticed this email is now rocking a new name and branding. It turns out That Big Soccer Organization has some pretty strict guidelines for naming things after the International Chalice — much like the Superb Owl and the Summer/Winter Games Of The Five Rings. My bad, y’all.
So, in honor of Kansas City being the center of the world this summer, we’re now calling this series Soccer City ‘26. We hope you share this email with a friend who might like it, and come along as we see where this journey takes us.
