(ST. JOSEPH, Mo.) The biggest global tournament is making its way to Kansas City, as fans from across the world will be able to experience the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
As Kansas City is preparing for thousands of visitors and international fans, local officials met at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art to discuss preparations for the World Cup.
Director of the St. Joseph Sports Commision, Brett Esely said “You know, put it in perspective, we all think the Super Bowl is a spectacle, sporting event, and it is but take the World Cup times 20 globally, and that’s what’s coming to North America and specifically our area, and it’s exciting stuff.”
“This is becoming real because now, again, we’re about a year and a half away, about a year away from finding out, who are the teams that are going to be competing, but then who are the teams that are going to call this part of the country basically a temporary home for their time competing in the World Cup, and so as that relates to St Joseph, a tremendous opportunity for our community to be able to engage in the world’s game,” Esely concluded.
Jim Rowlend, who led the presentation said “It’s a once in a generation opportunity that we haven’t seen since 1994 so the fact that it’s coming to, you know, the state of Missouri, the Kansas City region, it’s an incredible opportunity. We’re expecting upwards of 650,000 people coming to the to the community. So unbelievable.”
“Our central location is a competitive advantage for us. If you look at the communities that are hosting most of the East Coast, West Coast, you do have Dallas, and you obviously have Canada and Mexico involved, but we have experience drawing from the greater Midwest, with the Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals. The fact that we’ll have all of these people coming to the community, as well as the international visitors that will be coming, will create this dynamic, very intense experience,” Rowlend concluded.
With over 600,000 visitors expected, even possibly millions, St. Joseph businesses have a unique opportunity to continue driving business and increase their revenues.
Christian Mengel, from the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau said “In terms of what locals need to know. Just put yourself in their perspective, that if you’re going to a place in a country that you’ve never been before and you’re spending nine days, how far out would you go? How much money would you spend? You know, you think in their footsteps, and then all of a sudden, it gets a little easier to prepare for.”
“These are business owners in their own respective cities and countries, in some cases, their royalty, depending on where they’re from. When you really start putting that into perspective that this isn’t just a typical visitor, but this is a high profile spending visitor that’s bringing a lot of money with them, they might be considering to move their own business, you know, to something like this. Think about it from that perspective too, that you’re not just getting people coming who are couchsurfing, they’re following their team for nine days. You’re getting people who are invested in their team and they base their whole vacation plans around this tournament every time,” Mengel concluded.
For more information on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, you can visit their website by clicking HERE
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