A line of strong thunderstorms is expected to develop in the Kansas City metropolitan area Saturday afternoon, with the potential of heavy rainfall, hail and even tornadoes.
The ominous weather forecast aligns with the operating hours for Kansas City's FIFA Fan Festival: A watch party of the Qatar vs. Switzerland game is scheduled for 2 p.m., followed by Brazil vs. Morocco at 5 p.m. and a headlining music performance by The Chainsmokers at 8 p.m.
"The main concern will be wind gusts between 60 and 70 miles per hour, and hail that could potentially become larger than golf balls," says meteorologist Alex Krull of National Weather Service.
The National Weather Service is embedded in the joint operations center with KC2026 and provides daily morning briefings to help anticipate and prepare for the impact of adverse weather conditions.
Organizers say Fan Festival operations will be suspended if lightning is detected within an eight-mile radius of the venue, if wind gusts reach 30 mph, or if sustained winds reach 35 mph.
Organizers told KCUR they have evacuation procedures and designated emergency shelters for tornadoes and other urgent circumstances. However, details about that plan were not made available, and weather contingencies are not listed on the FIFA Fan Festival website.
Unfortunately, umbrellas are among the items that guests are prohibited from bringing into the festival.
Pack smart, enter faster 🎒
— FIFA World Cup 26 Kansas City (@FWC26KansasCity) June 12, 2026
Heading to the FIFA Fan Festival™ Kansas City? Make sure you're prepared:
✅ Clear bags at or below the dimensions of 12" x 6" x 12"
View our full prohibited items list at: https://t.co/1Um2pxXgHj pic.twitter.com/1Y0yr4srso
Kansas City has seen an high number of tornadoes this year, with unusually warm spring temperatures bringing more frequent thunderstorms. Tornado season tends to last into June.
The fan festival is held on the grounds of the National WWI Museum and Memorial, but the museum said it is not directly partnering on severe weather plans.
The museum said visitors are welcome to purchase a ticket and come inside for any weather issues that may pop up.
Storms at festival's opening
Reports of lightning delayed Thursday's much-anticipated fan festival opening for about 30 minutes. Fans at the front of the line, which wrapped from near the streetcar stop on 27th and Main Street up into the park, had been standing in the humid heat for hours at that point.
Several times, the waiting crowds broke into chants of “Cerveza! Cerveza!” and staffers handed out some water bottles to those who needed it.
The festival made no public announcements about the weather delay, or provided any instructions about safety precautions to people in line.
More than 10 minutes after the festival was scheduled to open, KC2026 sent out text alerts and published notices on social media: "Due to adverse weather conditions, the FIFA Fan Festival is operating on adjusted hours. The safety of the public, staff, and partners remain our top priority." (The posts were later deleted).
Just after 1:30 p.m., security began allowing attendees into the festival. However, rain began pouring soon after the Mexico-South Africa match began at 2 p.m.
With few covered areas to take shelter, most people simply opted to keep standing in the downpour and watch the game in soaking wet clothes and dripping hair. The storms passed through the area quickly — leaving blue skies and hot, muggy conditions for the remainder of the festival.
Meanwhile in Toronto, another World Cup host city, the entire FIFA Fan Festival was evacuated on its first day "out of an abundance of caution" due to lightning.
