World Cup

Chef Silvia Miguel provides empanadas and other pastries to coffee shops like Cafe Corazon, as well as restaurants and hotels. Her bakery Pan Caliente will be offering a "rotating lineup" of empanadas to match countries participating in the World Cup.

World Cup games will be underway here in Kansas City in just over three months. Author Simon Kuper joined Up To Date to discuss the history of the biggest sporting event in the world and how it became the spectacle it is today.

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. Plus: Federal funding woes and other issues facing the tournament with 100 days to go.

Will Iran compete? Will violence in Mexico flare up? And what about funding for host cities in the U.S.? With only 100 days left before it beings, the 2026 World Cup in North America is facing a lot of uncertainty.

Just over three months before the World Cup descends on Kansas City this June, small businesses are preparing to make the most of 650,000 expected visitors. That means updating menus and websites to accommodate international travelers, and getting staff trained for the expected crowds.

Many of the area’s faith communities are making detailed plans to ensure that everyone has religious support while they’re here. Large congregations are also working on unique ways to connect with the World Cup.

Dulcinea Herrera, whose family operates three Café Corazón locations across the metro, is ready to welcome Argentina’s World Cup team and its fans to Kansas City this summer. She's already prepared to welcome larger crowds and host watch parties.

Proponents are worried that soccer fans in Johnson and Wyandotte counties will cross the border to bars and stores in Missouri, which already passed legislation to extend liquor sales to 23 hours of the day.

Leaders in Lawrence, Kansas, are excited to welcome the Algerian men's national team to the city for the World Cup. The University of Kansas' Rock Chalk Park will serve as base camp for Team Algeria, and estimates suggest it could draw as many as 15,000 people to the area.

Between Kansas City's six games, multiple base camps, and an influx of an estimated 650,000 visitors, Kansas is expecting a strain on public safety, emergency and transportation services. The disaster declaration sets up Kansas to receive federal assistance.

The money will help Kansas City pay for police overtime, buy more cruisers and put ambassadors on public transit ahead of this summer's World Cup. Kansas City will host six matches, and the metro will be the base camp for four teams.

The city of Lawrence, Kansas, and the University of Kansas will host Algeria’s national team at Rock Chalk Park, on KU’s campus. Kansas City emerged as the country's most popular host for World Cup training sites, with all four of its possible locations claimed.