KANSAS CITY, Mo — We are less than a year out from the FIFA World Cup taking center stage in the Heart of America. We know, Kansas City will host six matches including two knockout games, but what can we really expect a year from now?
Chris Donahoo lives in Kansas City and to say he's a die-hard soccer fan is understatement. 20 years ago, he and a group of 9 friends grabbed their passports and traveled to Cologne, Germany for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
"We traveled there, there wasn't a lot going on as far as fandom around the World Cup for Team USA, and when we were there, we were thinking the whole time, how cool would it be if there was a meeting place, or some kind of event set up for the U.S. for fans that are going, because we'd see U.S. jerseys, we'd run into U.S. fans everywhere, but there was no organization," recalled Donahoo.
Donahoo says the desire to rally behind Team USA inspired the creation of the American Outlaws — a nonprofit dedicated to organizing support for the U.S. men’s, women’s, and youth soccer teams. He’s part of the KC chapter, and his passion for all things World Cup has even taken him as far as Brazil in 2014.
"I knew from the second I walked in the stadium that this was gonna be something that I participated in for the rest of my life," said Donahoo, "I can't imagine that there's any other sporting event that rivals this. People talk about the Super Bowl, but it's just, it's nothing in comparison to that."
Sharing that same passion is Kurt Austin, who is the current Senior Director of Communications at Sporting KC. Austin grew up in Kansas City and also attended his first World Cup tournament in Germany while in college with friends and family. He says it was a life-changing experience that led him to attend men and women's World Cup tournaments across South Africa, Brazil, Germany, Quatar and more.
"So many fans look forward to this every four years, and they save up for it for years to be able to go to a World Cup. They really make the most of the experience," explained Austin.
Roger Espinoza, Sporting KC legend who proudly wore an Honduras jersey during the 2010 and 2014 World Cup tournaments and represented La H in the 2012 Olympics tells KSHB41, playing in the World Cup was a moment he has been working for all his life.
"The World Cup, I think, is the pinnacle of where every soccer player wants to reach," said Espinoza. "As a little kid, you just dreamed of that, and being able to get to that level in 2010 and then 2014, it just brought back all the memories, when you were young, dreaming and working hard. So it is an emotional moment, but it is also, you know, a proud moment for you, just because you work so hard and you think of your family and all the hard work your parents did for you, for you to make it to that level."
KC 2026 estimates 650,000 fans will come to KC for the biggest sporting event in the world, which is why Donahoo's biggest piece of advice is securing a babysitter and planning to be at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, if you're lucky enough to score a ticket.
"I'm going to take my oldest son, so I'm going to be working with a babysitter for my youngest son, so my wife and I will probably be heading out to Arrowhead very early," said Donahoo." It's going be the summer, there's going be some heat, but I promise you will not regret getting out there early and taking in all the things, all the activities, talk to as many people as possible, welcome people to our city. It doesn't matter where you're from, what religion you are. None of that matters, because soccer transcends people."
Austin says if you don’t have tickets, the FIFA Fan Fest at the World War I Memorial will be a fiesta you don’t want to miss.
"You can watch all the games, you can be around all the fans, it's a free experience to participate in, so I think that's certainly one way that locals can enjoy the World Cup," said Austin. "But I also think already you're seeing cities and the business community plan events to be able to embrace the visitors that are here. I think you're gonna see a huge amount of interest, and you're gonna see a lot of different activities and events available for the community to participate."
The final match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held on Sunday, July 19, 2026, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. But once the tournament is over both players and fans believe KC will be triumphant in winning the hearts of all that came to visit.
"I have no doubt that it will be a very loud stadium, fans traveling, but you know, every country has its unique way, and I think that any country that Kansas City hosts is going to be a special moment and the United States being a country of immigrants, I don't think any team will have a problem having fans," said Espinoza.
KSHB 41 anchor/reporter Daniela Leon covers transportation-related issues in Kansas City. Share your story idea with Daniela.
