Tourism

While some Kansas City businesses have reported sales slowed significantly during the tournament, others — like barbecue restaurants and local merch shops — have seen extreme demand from visitors. World Cup traffic has been highly dependent on what businesses sell and where they’re located.

The Netherlands got knocked out of the World Cup, while Algeria hit the road for their next match. But with two more games left in Kansas City — this Friday’s between Ghana and Colombia, and a quarterfinal on July 11 — the ride isn't over just yet.

To welcome Algerian visitors and make them feel at home in the charming college town, Lawrence restaurant owners offered more halal options, with some pulling pork from their menu. The Algerian team’s presence also gave an opportunity to spotlight Lawrence’s Middle Eastern restaurants.

The ongoing Algeria-Lawrence lovefest has gained international attention, but a loss Saturday evening could end the affair while it's still getting started. Despite the big crowds and sometimes snarled traffic, pregame vibes in Lawrence are immaculate.

Many fans going to the first World Cup match in Kansas City last week were delayed by hours-long traffic jams. Local organizers made some changes to the transit system ahead of Saturday's Ecuador-Curaçao game — but were they enough?

Kansas City has welcomed thousands of visitors as the metro enters its second week of the World Cup. But as international crowds come in, many local shop owners feel they're taking a backseat. Some small businesses say the economic boost is not evenly distributed.

Curacao, an island nation with a population just over 150,000, is the smallest nation to ever qualify for the men’s World Cup. This is the team’s first World Cup appearance, and they’re uniformly considered an underdog. Even so, fans are thrilled to see their team compete against Ecuador on Saturday.

World Cup officials have said 650,000 soccer fans will visit Kansas City over the course of the monthlong tournament. But how will we know how many actually show up? Hear what we're seeing in the weeks before the FIFA World Cup.

The first match in Kansas City is Tuesday, June 16. The tourism industry expects people to come in droves and spike the local economy. Yet economists will wait for after-the-fact numbers to gauge the World Cup’s impact.

Demand for short-term rentals in Kansas City is so far strongest for properties closest to Arrowhead Stadium, where World Cup matches will be played, and for lower-priced listings.

Lawrence will serve as the base camp for Team Algeria during next month’s World Cup. With the Trump administration restricting travel for Algerians, and reports that Kansas City hotel bookings lag far behind tourism projections, organizers are planning for a variety of outcomes.

Nearly 90% of Kansas City hotels surveyed reported that bookings were running below projections — worse than any other host city, and with only weeks to go before the World Cup.