OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — With less than a year until Kansas City hosts the 2026 World Cup, KC2026 hosted the Kansas City Kickoff Event on Sunday.
The event was free for attendees and included live music, food, local vendors, activities, and Sporting Kansas City and Kansas City Current player appearances.
“We are here to celebrate the World Cup coming to Kansas City and letting the rest of the world experience Kansas City," soccer fan Brian Savoy said of himself and his family.
The event was held to drum up excitement for the World Cup among the Kansas City community.
"We have a lot to show and prove here," said attendee John Coler.
With lots of planning going on behind the scenes, KC2026 officials were at Sunday's event to provide insight into the benefits of the World Cup coming to Kansas City.
“We’re working on our transportation network that will leverage the existing public transportation that we have today," said Lindsey Douglas, chief operations officer for KC2026.
Douglas used the event to answer questions about transportation.
She said Kansas City is "well on track" to meet transportation-related requirements set by FIFA when it comes to getting fans to and from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium and around the region.
Regional transportation initiatives will extend from the Northland to south Kansas City, Missouri, into Johnson County and to Lawrence, Douglas said.
The city of Kansas City, Missouri, both the Missouri and Kansas departments of transportation, the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, Johnson County, and other partners will play a role in regional transportation services.
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“I think you could see some of these services lasting beyond the tournament if the resources were there and the demand was there to support that," Douglas said.
Douglas said KC2026 wants to work closely with ride-hailing companies, like Uber and Lyft, to better understand what their operations in Kansas City might look like during the World Cup.
"How many drivers? What's the capacity here in the region? Do they intend to start recruiting? Do they allow for any other regions to work here?" she said.
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Douglas said FIFA has been in talks with those ride-hailing companies.
For local residents, Douglas said Kansas City Scout will help communicate if and how traffic will be impacted on a day-to-day basis.
The Kansas City Kickoff Event was held at the Aspiria Campus in Overland Park. It's one example of how the World Cup and related events will extend beyond Kansas City, Missouri.
"We know that the hotel rooms in Johnson County are going to be full," said Johnson County Chairman Mike Kelly. "We know we are going to be able to showcase our businesses that are in Johnson County to world partners.”
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KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
