Missouri set to debate more spending on 2026 World Cup soccer games – St. Louis Post-Dispatch

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Fans cheer at Arrowhead Stadium during the first half of a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions on Sept. 7 in Kansas City, Mo.
JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri taxpayers could be on the hook for another outlay of millions of dollars in spending connected to the 2026 World Cup soccer tournament.
At a time when the Legislature may be focusing on requests from the state’s privately owned professional sports teams for assistance in upgrading football and baseball venues, the budget requests for the fiscal year beginning next July show how sporting events may consume a chunk of the 2025 legislative session.
According to preliminary budget documents filed this month, the Missouri Department of Transportation and the Department of Economic Development want more than $9 million to expand transportation and marketing options for the matches that will be played in Kansas City.
That comes on top of the more than $52 million approved last year for improvements designed to make the home of the Kansas City Chiefs more soccer friendly and for parking upgrades near World Cup event sites.
The state also has waived sales tax collections on the sales of tickets worth an estimated $3.5 million in revenue.
According to FIFA, more than 6 million fans — many possibly from Europe and South America — are expected to attend the matches that begin in June and continue through July.
An estimated 48 nations are expected to compete in the tournament.
Tourism officials believe the event could draw tens of thousands of spectators to the western half of the state. The financial windfall of hosting five to six World Cup matches has been pegged at more than $600 million.
While Kansas City will be hosting matches, St. Louis could serve as a base camp for an international club. In a request for $3 million, economic development officials say they will use the money to “inspire visitation to Missouri as part of the World Cup experience.”
Officials say much of that money would go toward tourists from other countries.
“The larger portion of the funds for marketing would be used to target international travelers, as existing research shows they stay longer and spend more while in trip, as compared to their domestic-travel counterparts,” the request notes.
MoDOT is asking for approval to provide additional Amtrak service during the World Cup.
Currently, the Missouri River Runner travels twice daily between St. Louis and Kansas City with stops in Kirkwood, Washington, Hermann, Jefferson City, Sedalia, Warrensburg, Lee’s Summit and Independence.
A proposed $6.2 million increase would potentially add frequency to the number of trips made by the train.
In the most recently reported full fiscal year, 145,000 rode Amtrak in Missouri. Projections for 2026 show that number jumping to 220,000, possibly fueled by soccer fans traveling to Kansas City.
The draw for the tournament, which will likely be held late in 2025, will determine which teams will play at the different locations.
St. Louis City SC beat writer Tom Timmermann and genial co-host Beth O’Malley talk about how different the end of the 2024 season is from 2023 for City SC. In its first season, City SC faded at the finish line while this season, it’s going out on a high. (But, unlike Season 1, won’t be in the playoffs.)
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Fans cheer at Arrowhead Stadium during the first half of a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions on Sept. 7 in Kansas City, Mo.
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