{"id":6695,"date":"2026-05-16T12:35:52","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T12:35:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/05\/16\/how-kansas-city-became-unlikely-2026-world-cup-hosts-for-the-us\/"},"modified":"2026-05-16T12:35:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T12:35:52","slug":"how-kansas-city-became-unlikely-2026-world-cup-hosts-for-the-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/05\/16\/how-kansas-city-became-unlikely-2026-world-cup-hosts-for-the-us\/","title":{"rendered":"How Kansas City became unlikely 2026 World Cup hosts for the US"},"content":{"rendered":"<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>For travellers, it\u2019s easy to, literally, look down on Kansas City, Missouri. In the heart of the United States Midwest, it represents the definition of flyover country for those on their way to more famous locales.<\/p>\n<p>That perspective is about to change as this summer, the attention of the sporting world lands on Kansas City, along with hundreds of thousands of football fans.<\/p>\n<section>\n<h2>Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n<p><span>list of 4 items<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>list 1 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/sports\/2026\/5\/9\/world-cup-2026-how-united-states-football-has-evolved-since-1994-hosting\">US football a \u2018different world\u2019 compared to 1994 World Cup but flaws remain<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 2 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/sports\/2026\/4\/27\/fifa-world-cup-2026-dynamic-pricing-match-tickets-peter-moore\">Dynamic pricing adding to \u2018dystopian\u2019 2026 World Cup, ex-Liverpool CEO says<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 3 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/opinions\/2026\/5\/5\/caf-is-failing-africas-world-cup-fans\">CAF is failing Africa\u2019s World Cup fans<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 4 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/sports\/2026\/4\/28\/before-world-cup-fifa-slammed-for-politicising-sport-with-trump-prize\">Before World Cup, FIFA slammed for politicising sport with Trump prize<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Arrowhead Stadium, the 76,000 capacity home of the NFL\u2019s Kansas City Chiefs, will host six World Cup matches, including a possible Argentina-Portugal quarterfinal, anticipated as a Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo showdown.<\/p>\n<p>Kansas City overcame major odds to become one of 11 US venues for the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/sports\/2026\/5\/7\/whats-the-full-match-schedule-groups-and-format-for-world-cup-2026\">biggest World Cup ever<\/a>, a 39-day tournament stretching from Mexico City to Vancouver, Canada.<\/p>\n<p>While Kansas City is the 37th most populous city in the US, according to the 2020 census, most of the other hosting cities are in the top 10 in terms of population.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s a big gap, and most of those in between were bid cities,\u201d Alan Dietrich, chief operating officer of the Major League Soccer (MLS) team Sporting Kansas City, told Al Jazeera in a recent interview.<\/p>\n<p>The initial bid list in 2017 included 37 stadiums in 34 cities, including four \u2013 Chicago, Detroit, Orlando, and Washington, DC \u2013 that played host to the \u201994 World Cup. They all fell by the wayside and, when the announcement was made on June 16, 2022, Kansas City became a World Cup city.<\/p>\n<p>How did it happen?<\/p>\n<p>Go back to 2013, when Kansas City declared itself the \u201cSoccer Capital of America\u201d, a registered trademark. They invested in stadiums and training facilities, more than $650m worth. The World Cup was a long shot, but that did not stop the local organising committee from pulling out all the stops.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe did crazy things,\u201d Dietrich said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4557727\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4557727\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/afp_69ff261b59f4-1778329115.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C514&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MAY 05: World Cup signage is displayed at the Kansas City airport ahead of the 2026 World Cup on May 05, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. Jamie Squire\/Getty Images\/AFP (Photo by JAMIE SQUIRE \/ GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA \/ Getty Images via AFP)\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4557727\">World Cup 2026 signage at the Kansas City airport [Jamie Squire\/Getty Images via AFP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That included setting up a sort of Potemkin football village to impress visiting FIFA officials.<\/p>\n<p>For the venue visit, FIFA officials arrived late at night at the decaying Kansas City Municipal Airport (since replaced), but the terminal was far from deserted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe had a bunch of volunteers from the Sporting Kansas City staff walking around, making it look alive and vibrant,\u201d Dietrich said. \u201cIf someone looked lost or confused, they\u2019d ask if they could help.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On the 24km (15-mile) ride into town, drivers made sure to show the officials where the new airport was going to be.<\/p>\n<p>The visitors were assigned hotel rooms overlooking a billboard reading \u201cWe Want The Cup\u201d. Outside the hotel, pop-up, small-sided games on grass fields just happened to be going on.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey would smile and nod when they saw that,\u201d Jake Reid, vice president of the local organising committee and Sporting KC president, told Al Jazeera. \u201cBut I think it matters we put in the effort.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The FIFA officials extended their stay to attend a US Women\u2019s National Team game. They departed on a 6am flight.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI won\u2019t say which one, but the next city had forgotten transportation, and they spent three hours waiting at the airport,\u201d Dietrich said. \u201cWe broke our backs to orchestrate everything, and another city, they aren\u2019t even here to pick [them] up. That kind of helped. But we still thought we only had a 50-50 chance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kansas City turned negatives into positives. Nowheresville became a \u201ccentral location,\u201d facilitating air travel. Long distances on roads, sure, but zero traffic jams.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur transportation ranking was dead last. We flipped that on its head in every way,\u201d Reid said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe reality of distances is, it\u2019s going to take you more than two hours getting from the airport to MetLife [stadium in New Jersey], and getting from our airport to Arrowhead is 22 minutes. We were the first city to lock in buses, and now we have more than 225 buses for [public transportation].\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A city with the US\u2019s then 32nd-ranked Designated Marketing Area translated as \u201csmall market, big region,\u201d Reid said. Kansas City\u2019s population is listed at 508,000 and the metropolitan area at 2.2 million.<\/p>\n<p>Like the Chiefs and Kansas City Royals baseball team, the World Cup can expect fans to come from within a three-hour drive. Reid expects them to \u201cpop in from Omaha, Springfield. Look at Kansas City on a map, we\u2019re small. Look at the fan base, it stretches around a significant area.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reid added:\u00a0\u201cThe one factor that stands out, we just wanted it more.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith New York, Boston, it\u2019s a formality. They say we\u2019re major market, events come here. We didn\u2019t expect to get this and we had to put our best foot forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4516349\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4516349\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AFP__20260421__2272457155__v1__HighRes__FifaWorldCup2026VenuesKansasCityStadium-1776951116.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C513&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"Workers install sod ahead of the 2026 World Cup at Kansas City Stadium on April 21, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4516349\">Workers install the pitch ahead of the 2026 World Cup at the Arrowhead Stadium [Jamie Squire\/Getty Images via AFP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"magic-moments-and-base-camps\">\u2018Magic moments\u2019 and base camps<\/h2>\n<p>Just getting the World Cup would satisfy most municipalities, but not these Kansas Citians. After the final draw last year, they pulled off another coup via base camps, as Argentina, England and the Netherlands chose Kansas City, and Algeria picked the nearby city of Lawrence.<\/p>\n<p>That meant another round of romancing. For England, Kansas City set up a \u201chuge lunch, as much barbecue to feed an army,\u201d in the downtown Power &#038; Light District, Reid said. They weren\u2019t sure they\u2019d clinched the deal until a dinner that included \u201ca few glasses of wine\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>England coach Thomas Tuchel \u201cturned to Jake, and said, \u2018Are you all in with us? Because what we do if we win a tournament, we all get a tattoo specific to the tournament,\u2019\u201d Dietrich said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd Jake and I both said we\u2019re in. I have three kids and they all have tattoos, and I always told them to think about how they would feel about having them [after] many years go by. But I would love to get a tattoo. I would absolutely get one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Facts on the ground, this is still the Midwest of vast distances and potential boredom. During the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, while based in Rustenburg, outside Johannesburg, Wayne Rooney said England players became tired of \u201cdarts and snooker\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Kansas City has taken downtime into account. During visits, \u201cwe would throw in what we call \u2018magic moments,\u2019 to surprise and delight,\u201d Dietrich said.<\/p>\n<p>That might be simply sitting down with Argentinians at Fiorella\u2019s Jack Stack Barbecue. The Argentina contingent talked about <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/sports\/2022\/12\/18\/messis-argentina-beat-france-on-penalties-to-win-world-cup\">winning the 2022 World Cup<\/a>, while Kansas Citians told of the city\u2019s lore: from Jesse James, to the anything-goes jazz days, to the origins of barbecue and the local speciality \u201cburnt ends\u201d of the brisket.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe did our best to educate them as much as we could,\u201d Reid said. \u201cWhat they retained, I couldn\u2019t tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4342689\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4342689\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP25353670800341-1772177732.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C513&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"FILE - A general overall interior view of GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium during the first half of an NFL football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo\/Reed Hoffmann, File)\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4342689\">The Kansas City Chiefs take on the Detroit Lions in an NFL game at Arrowhead Stadium in 2023 [Reed Hoffmann\/AP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But it turned out there was more to recruiting than gluttony and over-the-top endeavour. Kansas City also tailored its pitch to Algeria, which preferred a low-key environment in Lawrence, 48km (30 miles) away in Kansas state.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey were attracted to the tranquil setting,\u201d Reid said. \u201cRolling hills and outdoor space, lots of trees.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The hosts also tuned into customs and religious practices.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey wanted halal meats, and we had that set up with three different suppliers,\u201d Reid said. \u201cDetails meant a lot to them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lawrence is a bucolic college town of about 100,000 people, home of the popular University of Kansas Jayhawks basketball team.<\/p>\n<p>But the Algerians might also appreciate its days as an independence battleground. The Jayhawks nickname derives from the anti-slavery faction in \u201cBleeding Kansas\u201d \u2013 a series of battles fought between pro and anti-slavery advocates from 1854-59 \u2013 that fought to keep the state free before the American Civil War.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"the-soccer-capital-of-america\">The \u2018Soccer Capital of America\u2019<\/h2>\n<p id=\"and-the-claims-to-being-the-capital-of-american-soccer-the-region-s-footballing-history-dates-to-the-opening-of-the-american-west-as-the-santa-fe-railroad-fielded-a-shop-team-in-topeka-kansas-in-the-1880s\">And the claims to being the Soccer Capital of America? The region\u2019s footballing history dates to the opening of the American West, as the Santa Fe Railroad fielded a team in Topeka, Kansas, in the 1880s.<\/p>\n<p>For decades, football was left in the dust by other sports, until the 1966 World Cup, which inspired investment in professional teams in several US cities. The Kansas City Spurs had a three-season run, starting in 1968, when they played against Santos and Pele (ending in a 4-1 loss for the hosts) in front of 19,296 at Municipal Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>In 1969, the Spurs won the championship of the North American Soccer League (NASL), by then a five-team league, although the team dissolved in 1971 amid financial and organisational challenges.<\/p>\n<p>Then came indoor football, the Kansas City Comets (1979-91) outdrawing and outlasting both an NBA team (KC-Omaha Kings) and an NHL team (Kansas City Scouts) at Kemper Arena.<\/p>\n<p>The Comets did their part for the city\u2019s footballing culture.<\/p>\n<p>\u201dNow, the average person actually knows about soccer, and that wasn\u2019t the case,\u201d Alan Mayer, goalkeeper for the US national team and the Comets, told Al Jazeera. \u201cWe had to do a lot of education, clinics, personal appearances. One year, I made 300 appearances to schools talking about soccer.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4549856\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4549856\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AFP__20260505__2274566290__v1__HighRes__KansasCityPreparesToHostFifaWorldCup2026-1778065752.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C509&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"World Cup merchandise is displayed at the Kansas City airport \" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4549856\">World Cup merchandise at the Kansas City airport [Jamie Squire\/Getty Images via AFP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/sports\/2026\/5\/9\/world-cup-2026-how-united-states-football-has-evolved-since-1994-hosting\">\u201994 World Cup<\/a> came along, Lamar Hunt proposed Arrowhead Stadium as a venue, hoping to use the tournament to launch MLS.<\/p>\n<p>FIFA passed Kansas City by, but Hunt went ahead with the KC Wizards, originally named the Wiz, and won the 2000 MLS Cup. The team rebranded as Sporting Kansas City, opened a football-specific stadium (capacity 21,000) in 2011, and won the 2013 MLS Cup title. The Kansas City Current women\u2019s team was founded in 2021 and play at the CPKC Stadium (11,500).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t really think we may be hosting a World Cup, I never gave it a thought, it was too far out of the realm of possibility,\u201d said Mayer, who earned six US caps and once scored on a long clearance playing for Southend United\u2019s reserve team.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I first got to Kansas City in the mid-\u201880s there wasn\u2019t any MLS. The difference between now and then is astronomical, how popular the game has become. But I really don\u2019t think the public understands how much this is going to affect the economy and the visual effect it will have on how the rest of the world looks at Kansas City and the US.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd how great and crazy this is going to be, the atmosphere created by hundreds of thousands of people of all different nationalities coming to the Kansas City area.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For travellers, it\u2019s easy to, literally, look down on Kansas City, Missouri. In the heart of the United States Midwest, it represents the definition of flyover country for those on their way to more famous locales. That perspective is about to change as this summer, the attention of the sporting world lands on Kansas City, &#8230; <a title=\"How Kansas City became unlikely 2026 World Cup hosts for the US\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/05\/16\/how-kansas-city-became-unlikely-2026-world-cup-hosts-for-the-us\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about How Kansas City became unlikely 2026 World Cup hosts for the US\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6696,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6695"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6695\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}