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Safe to say, Thursday was an exciting day for Kansas City sports fans.
FIFA announced Kansas City as one of 16 host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Kansas City was one of 11 U.S. cities selected, along with three cities in Mexico and two in Canada. Arrowhead Stadium will serve as KC’s venue for the games.
Check out the reaction from fans and leaders around KC and Missouri:
This. This is what being a #HostCity2026 means to Kansas City 💙#KC2026 | #OneSportingWay pic.twitter.com/RSYZyeFQtV
— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) June 16, 2022
We're ready to welcome the world's game to the Heart of America!
And @PatrickMahomes wants to remind everyone that @GEHAField is THE loudest stadium in the world! #KC2026 | #HostCity2026 pic.twitter.com/1q7vGxi8Ca
— KC 2026 World Cup Host City (@KC2026WorldCup) June 16, 2022
I don’t know who this is, but we all know Kansas City is the greatest city in the world.
Let’s go!!! pic.twitter.com/zdEXhZ80SZ
— Mayor Q (@QuintonLucasKC) June 16, 2022
WINNER…KANSAS CITY!
The @FIFAWorldCup is coming to #MO in 2026! We are excited #KC was selected as a host city to help deliver the largest #FIFAWorldCup in history!
We look forward to welcoming fans from all over the world to the great State of Missouri! #WeGotTheCup pic.twitter.com/HaB7WIhMgL
— Governor Mike Parson (@GovParsonMO) June 16, 2022
It’s hard to characterize how big of a deal this is for the city. While soccer may not currently be the No. 1 sport in America, the World Cup is the No. 1 single sporting event in the world, and the impact of hosting some of its games shouldn’t be understated. Kansas City also checks in as the city with the smallest metro area out of all 16 host sites, and beat out larger markets such as Baltimore, Washington D.C., Denver and Cincinnati. That’s a testament to the value that Kansas City puts on its sports culture, and particularly its soccer culture.
Who’s ready for 2026?!
