Getting KC prepped for World Cup 2026: Government, team officials outline broad plans

A World Cup 2026 board of directors, comprised of civic leaders, business executives and local elected officials, will guide the process of getting Kansas City and the region primed to play host to the global soccer event.

Also announced during a Thursday news conference at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium: Kansas City will be issuing a request for proposals for transportation connecting GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium with downtown KC and the recently overhauled Kansas City International Airport.

“And more than anything, ways to make it long-term,” Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said. “Right now we’re thinking about everything.”

Lucas mentioned light rail and enhanced bus transportation as possibilities and indicated the improvements would not require a ballot issue. The Missouri General Assembly has already approved the expenditure of $50 million; additional funding for improvements to stadiums and parking upgrades will come from the coffers of the Kansas and Kansas City governments.

Lucas suggested that some of that funding could address transportation needs.

“I don’t think we need to go to the ballot for this particular issue,” he said. “We’re looking at how we can build this out in our normal budget in Kansas City, and certainly how we can build up our private fund-raising.

“The government side of this will be a substantial contribution, but we also expect private actors, including our team owners, to be a huge part of what’s coming ahead.”

Ownership representatives from the Kansas City Chiefs and Sporting Kansas City was also present at Thursday’s informational session.

Kansas City has been selected as one of 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup. Cities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico are co-hosting the 2026 tournament as part of the winning North American bid.

Lucas said the price tag for Kansas City’s World Cup efforts will exceed $100 million. But the reported economic benefit of playing host to World Cup games, plus the long-term benefits of improved transportation connections, could make such a hefty investment worthwhile.

“We just think getting $600 million out of it is not a bad return,” Lucas said, “and long-lasting brand impressions we get for Kansas City will continue to grow Kansas City for us.”

Lucas also said the city will create a commission aimed at helping new Americans integrate to the area.

“We’re seeing in our country a number of folks that are coming anew to our country, immigrant populations, and we’re here to be sure how they can integrate,” he said. “Finding jobs, work permits, housing for people in a more structural way.

“We’ve had Afghan refugees come to America and Kansas City. I don’t know if we did as much as we could. It’s something FIFA has asked us. How do we make sure we’re strong from a human rights perspective, as well?”

FIFA World Cup 2026 branding unveiled

An apparent nod to Kansas City’s fountains will be part of the branding for the city worldwide ahead of the 2026 World Cup, the international soccer organization FIFA announced Thursday.

Soccer’s world governing body, the Federation Internationale de Football Association, for the first time will have unique branding for each of the 16 host cities of the World Cup tournament. The official unveiling occurred at 2 a.m. Kansas City time Thursday.

The official FIFA World Cup 26 brand includes an image of the World Cup Trophy along with the number 26, depicting the year 2026.

Six logos were released for Kansas City’s branding, including one that says “We are Kansas City,” along with curves that appear to be sprays from a fountain — an apparent acknowledgment of the city’s nickname, “City of Fountains.”