Neal Sharma, board vice president of KC2026, asked the Kansas Legislature to support a state appropriation of $28 million to $32 million to support the Kansas City area’s hosting of World Cup soccer competition in summer 2026. Last year, Kansas lawmakers allocated $10 million to the endeavor. (Kansas Reflector screen capture of Kansas Legislature’s YouTube channel)
TOPEKA — The KC2026 organization working to deliver on a regional economic development opportunity tied to World Cup soccer competition Tuesday asked a Kansas House budget committee for up to $32 million for transportation, security and marketing operations.
The state of Kansas last year earmarked $10 million for upgrades to Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, where the MISL’s Sporting Kansas City performs.
In terms of the latest spending request, World Cup organizers acknowledged Gov. Laura Kelly’s recommendation of a $20 million appropriation while outlining their proposal to secure state investment of $28 million to $32 million. It would be part of KC2026’s total budget of $165 million, with $74 million potentially provided by the state of Missouri.
Some members of the House Appropriations Committee asked for detailed reports on anticipated costs and benefits, while others on the budget panel rubbed their hands at the prospect of an economic opportunity attracting thousands of people to the soccer extravaganza from June 11 to July 19. No decision has been made by either the House or Senate budget committees about World Cup funding.
“It is no exaggeration that this World Cup is the largest event ever held in human history. Full stop,” said Neal Sharma, board vice president of the KC2026. “Three countries, 48 teams, 16 cities over roughly 38 days. We need your support. We’ve got to make sure we make the most of this opportunity.”
He said more than 1 billion people, about 10 times the total who watch the NFL’s Super Bowl, viewed the previous World Cup final. He promised the international audience in 2026 would be larger.
Joe Reardon, president and CEO of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, told the House committee that one of the unusual features of World Cup competition was that thousands of fans would travel to cities where national teams positioned themselves at training camps. The teams often take buses or flights to competition sites.
In Kansas, the potential base camp sites were at Children’s Mercy Park and Compass Minerals National Performance Center, both in Kansas City, Kansas, as well as Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence and Buser Family Park in Manhattan. It’s possible Wichita could be added to the list.
Rep. Troy Waymaster, a Bunker Hill Republican and chairman of the House budget committee, said he was interested in assurances public investment by Kansas taxpayers would be expended within the state and not used to finance World Cup activities in Missouri. FIFA chose Kansas and Missouri as joint hosts of World Cup events in Kansas City. The match schedule for 2026 could be announced Feb. 4 by FIFA.
Katherine Holland, KC2026 executive director, said the organization would establish budgeting and auditing practices that would demonstrate to government officials and private donors that KC2026 was compliant with its financial agreements. She said the organization would create a “set of stringent protocols.”
Rep. Kristey Williams, R-Augusta, said she would appreciate KC2026 confirm financial backing from Kansas cities expected to benefit economically from World Cup competition.
“I would love to see the skin in the game for some of our local cities,” she said.
Representatives of KC2026 should provide the Legislature with analysis of potential economic impact so lawmakers could assess wisdom of putting $28 million to $32 million into the World Cup, said Rep. Henry Helgerson, D-Wichita. He appeared wary of KC2026 projections of a $163 million influence on the Kansas economy.
“It sounds like you’re ballparking some of this stuff,” Helgerson said.
He said the state could make a firm commitment to the World Cup, but divide the appropriation between two fiscal years. A KC2026 executive said the preference was to receive all state funding in advance, but would collaborate on an alternative schedule.
“How are you dealing with the scandals?” Helgerson said.
“The FIFA scandals?” Holland replied.
“There isn’t any other institution or sporting company that has more scandals internationally,” said Helgerson, referencing U.S. Department of Justice reports that bribes and kickbacks were paid to FIFA officials associated with selecting sites for World Cup events awarded to Qatar.
Holland said FIFA’s choice of Canada, the United States and Mexico for the next World Cup was an intentional effort to move beyond that controversy.
“I think largely they’re committed to hosting in these three countries to rehabilitate their image,” Holland said.
Republican Rep. Ken Corbet, of Topeka, said the economic return on hosting a leg of the world championship of soccer should justify public investment.
“It seems like we’re nitpicking over a few bucks here,” said Corbet, who recalled the Legislature approved up to $1 billion in incentives before it was acknowledged the package was designed to land a new Panasonic plant at De Soto. “This looks like a far better investment to me.”
John Federico, a consultant and lobbyist hired by KC2026, said he was convinced the proposal was one of the rare instances when politics didn’t play into the ultimate decision on funding.
“We feel strongly that it is a reasonable, responsible request that checks a lot of boxes, including accountability, return on investment to the state, a public-private partnership to secure necessary funding,” support of small business and global exposure,” he said.
by Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector
January 30, 2024
by Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector
January 30, 2024
TOPEKA — The KC2026 organization working to deliver on a regional economic development opportunity tied to World Cup soccer competition Tuesday asked a Kansas House budget committee for up to $32 million for transportation, security and marketing operations.
The state of Kansas last year earmarked $10 million for upgrades to Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, where the MISL’s Sporting Kansas City performs.
In terms of the latest spending request, World Cup organizers acknowledged Gov. Laura Kelly’s recommendation of a $20 million appropriation while outlining their proposal to secure state investment of $28 million to $32 million. It would be part of KC2026’s total budget of $165 million, with $74 million potentially provided by the state of Missouri.
Some members of the House Appropriations Committee asked for detailed reports on anticipated costs and benefits, while others on the budget panel rubbed their hands at the prospect of an economic opportunity attracting thousands of people to the soccer extravaganza from June 11 to July 19. No decision has been made by either the House or Senate budget committees about World Cup funding.
“It is no exaggeration that this World Cup is the largest event ever held in human history. Full stop,” said Neal Sharma, board vice president of the KC2026. “Three countries, 48 teams, 16 cities over roughly 38 days. We need your support. We’ve got to make sure we make the most of this opportunity.”
He said more than 1 billion people, about 10 times the total who watch the NFL’s Super Bowl, viewed the previous World Cup final. He promised the international audience in 2026 would be larger.
Joe Reardon, president and CEO of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, told the House committee that one of the unusual features of World Cup competition was that thousands of fans would travel to cities where national teams positioned themselves at training camps. The teams often take buses or flights to competition sites.
In Kansas, the potential base camp sites were at Children’s Mercy Park and Compass Minerals National Performance Center, both in Kansas City, Kansas, as well as Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence and Buser Family Park in Manhattan. It’s possible Wichita could be added to the list.
Rep. Troy Waymaster, a Bunker Hill Republican and chairman of the House budget committee, said he was interested in assurances public investment by Kansas taxpayers would be expended within the state and not used to finance World Cup activities in Missouri. FIFA chose Kansas and Missouri as joint hosts of World Cup events in Kansas City. The match schedule for 2026 could be announced Feb. 4 by FIFA.
Katherine Holland, KC2026 executive director, said the organization would establish budgeting and auditing practices that would demonstrate to government officials and private donors that KC2026 was compliant with its financial agreements. She said the organization would create a “set of stringent protocols.”
Rep. Kristey Williams, R-Augusta, said she would appreciate KC2026 confirm financial backing from Kansas cities expected to benefit economically from World Cup competition.
“I would love to see the skin in the game for some of our local cities,” she said.
Representatives of KC2026 should provide the Legislature with analysis of potential economic impact so lawmakers could assess wisdom of putting $28 million to $32 million into the World Cup, said Rep. Henry Helgerson, D-Wichita. He appeared wary of KC2026 projections of a $163 million influence on the Kansas economy.
“It sounds like you’re ballparking some of this stuff,” Helgerson said.
He said the state could make a firm commitment to the World Cup, but divide the appropriation between two fiscal years. A KC2026 executive said the preference was to receive all state funding in advance, but would collaborate on an alternative schedule.
“How are you dealing with the scandals?” Helgerson said.
“The FIFA scandals?” Holland replied.
“There isn’t any other institution or sporting company that has more scandals internationally,” said Helgerson, referencing U.S. Department of Justice reports that bribes and kickbacks were paid to FIFA officials associated with selecting sites for World Cup events awarded to Qatar.
Holland said FIFA’s choice of Canada, the United States and Mexico for the next World Cup was an intentional effort to move beyond that controversy.
“I think largely they’re committed to hosting in these three countries to rehabilitate their image,” Holland said.
Republican Rep. Ken Corbet, of Topeka, said the economic return on hosting a leg of the world championship of soccer should justify public investment.
“It seems like we’re nitpicking over a few bucks here,” said Corbet, who recalled the Legislature approved up to $1 billion in incentives before it was acknowledged the package was designed to land a new Panasonic plant at De Soto. “This looks like a far better investment to me.”
John Federico, a consultant and lobbyist hired by KC2026, said he was convinced the proposal was one of the rare instances when politics didn’t play into the ultimate decision on funding.
“We feel strongly that it is a reasonable, responsible request that checks a lot of boxes, including accountability, return on investment to the state, a public-private partnership to secure necessary funding,” support of small business and global exposure,” he said.
Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com. Follow Kansas Reflector on Facebook and Twitter.
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Tim Carpenter has reported on Kansas for 35 years. He covered the Capitol for 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal and previously worked for the Lawrence Journal-World and United Press International.
Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website.
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