South Kansas City businesses kick off FIFA World Cup preparations

By Tony Madden

South Kansas City area businesses are already busy planning for an influx of 650,000 soccer fans this summer. Kansas City will take to the world stage as it hosts six soccer matches and four base camps for the 2026 FIFA World Cup between June and July.

Kansas City joins 15 other host cities across North America. They include Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey.

Most of the local excitement will take place at Arrowhead Stadium, known as Kansas City Stadium for the competition. The stadium will host six out of the 104 World Cup matches: four Group matches, one Round of 32 match, and one Quarterfinal match.

Kansas City also has the honor of hosting more base camps in the 2026 FIFA World Cup than any other host city. The national teams from Algeria, Argentina, England and the Netherlands will lodge and train at KC-area hotels and soccer facilities. 

FIFA’s official Fan Festival is set for several dates between June 11 and July 11, according to the FIFA website. The free, regional celebration will offer food, entertainment and cultural enrichment at the National WWI Museum and Memorial downtown. Direct buses to the airport, downtown area and Kansas City Stadium will be available through ConnectKC26, the transportation plan in place for World Cup events. 

Pam Kramer, who leads the KC2026 nonprofit spearheading official events, said the staff is being intentional about creating opportunities to distribute the economic impact across Kansas City. Downtown will be the center, but the entire metro should expect a World Cup impact, agreed Derek Byrne, director of content and strategy for Visit KC.

“We would be hamstringing ourselves if we said you have to come to Kansas City and stay on this side of the state line or stay in this municipality,” Byrne told local businesses at an NBKC Bank World Cup readiness panel on March 5.

Even the athletes are expected to venture around the metro and into south Kansas City. For example, England’s national soccer team will stay in Prairie Village, Kansas, but will train at Swope Soccer Village at Swope Park in south Kansas City. 

“We must be complementary to what FIFA or KC2026 is going to bring to the table,” said Nia Webster, assistant director of the city’s Neighborhood Services Department. “It’s on you to make sure your businesses are successful,” she went on to say.

Various entities — including FIFA and Visit KC — have provided a wealth of resources and guides for both businesses and travelers. At the March 5 panel, Nia Webster from Kansas City’s Neighborhood Services Department urged business owners to explore the KC Game Plan 2026 playbook, which provides guidelines on regulatory processes with the city. It also covers outdoor dining requirements, outdoor events, marketing do’s and don’ts, and more. 

The KC2026 Community Activation Playbook also provides an all-encompassing look at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and how business and individuals alike can participate. It offers advice such as expecting celebrations outside of official venues such as the National WWI Museum and Memorial; public streets and parks will be packed with excitement, too. 

Katie Camlin, marketing manager at KC Bier Company, admitted the company isn’t sure what to expect. However, the Missouri Restaurant Association’s online World Cup Hospitality Resource Center has been helpful, she said. The webpage links to articles on specific countries’ dining and hospitality habits, cultural awareness tips, payment preferences, menu trends and other key considerations. 

“We’re not going to necessarily break the bank and spend the whole budget during this time,” Camlin said. “We’re definitely going to amp up our advertising presence and hope to be really visible for when we have all these visitors in town.”

How south Kansas City area businesses are preparing

KC Bier Company is at a particular advantage for the festivities as a Kansas City business with a strong soccer following. The brewery opens early every Saturday during the Bundesliga German federal soccer league’s season so fans can catch the matches.

It has also been helpful for KC Bier Company to do its own research while preparing, Camlin added. That has included analyzing past beer sales in World Cup host cities over time. The company hopes serving its signature German-style beers — such as its house lager or its Dunkel brew — will give KC Bier Company a leg up with European travelers. 

KC Bier Company will also capitalize on World Cup events with branded soccer-themed decorations; special glassware with etched soccer balls; and branded soccer jerseys in a variety of colors. Camlin added the company plans to have its biergarten and bierhalle in Lenexa, Kansas, open by this summer, but a date has not been set.

The Waldo Area Business Association has also been working on themed events for Wednesdays from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. between June 17 and July 8 as a part of its “Waldo Wednesdays – Soccer in the City” initiative. The events at 75th Street and Wornall Road promise live music, kids soccer activities, Waldo vendors and photo opportunities.

As a part of Leawood’s “Leawood For the Goal” initiative, local businesses are getting a boost from $50,000 in grant funding. Announced on March 2, the money will be split among eight local businesses to get prepared for extra visitors and World Cup festivities. Preparations and improvements include multilingual menus, redesigned layouts, expanded seating and promotional materials.

The Regnier Family Wonderscope Children’s Museum of Kansas City in Red Bridge has also been busy planning World Cup festivities for little ones, Communications Director Rebecca Dye said. 

“We’ve already got flags from the countries that are going to be here, and we’re going to welcome them in their own language,” Dye told the Telegraph.

Wonderscope festivities will also include soccer related-crafts, gross motor activities, and soccer-related science lessons. Additionally, the museum plans to bring out its six-foot soccer ball to play with.

All in all, Kansas City should do what it does best and “throw on your host hats,” according to Graham Zusi, the former soccer standout from Sporting KC and the U.S. Men’s National Team. He said the city should provide not only a roadmap for visitors, but also the occasional recommendation.

At the March 5 panel, Zusi became emotional discussing his team’s victory over Ghana at the 2014 World Cup in Natal, Brazil. He said seeing photos of fans cheering him on from watch parties in Kansas City gave him “the biggest sense of pride.” 

He went on to say it was the extra lengths his Brazilian hosts went to that made him feel welcome as a foreign athlete. He urged Kansas City businesses to make the same effort for international visitors. 

“I couldn’t even tell you what those little things were,” Zusi said. “It was more the human interaction I remember.”