Crews hard at work Monday as Kansas City cleans up World Cup locations

KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers Kansas City, Missouri. Share your story idea with Alyssa.

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The FIFA 2026 World Cup still has three matches to go, and yes, two of the teams still playing have base camps here. But for everything else, the World Cup footprint in Kansas City is winding down.

On Sunday, less than 12 hours after Argentina defeated Switzerland 3-1 to advance to Wednesday’s semifinal match against England in Atlanta, crews at Kansas City’s FIFA Fan Fest and Kansas City Stadium/GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium got to breaking down the World Cup infrastructure.

That work continued Monday at the Fan Fest footprint at the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri.

Fencing, banners and the iconic 65-foot-tall Kansas City heart sculpture were among the areas of focus for crews on Monday.

KC2026, the group that organized Kansas City’s hosting of the World Cup, said last week that Fan Fest drew more than 300,000 people before the last two days of events.

"It was a good time, and I'm glad we got a second go-round to show Kansas City a Fan Fest and learned from our first mistake — the [NFL] Draft," Rachel Benavides told KSHB 41's Alyssa Jackson on Monday.

Sam Hartle/KSHB

Even though the heart is being disassembled from its current location, Mayor Quinton Lucas said last week the heart will remain in Kansas City. A final location is still uncertain.

"It definitely represents Kansas City, and we're the Heartland, so it makes sense we had a giant heart. I hope it comes back because it would be a staple to add to our city," Benavides said.

Tyler Alford, who lives in Kansas City, said hosting the World Cup was a good step forward for KCMO — and rated the experience a "6."

"There was a meme — Kansas City was the husband washing the garage while everyone else needed to be setting up for the party," Alford said. "I think we have a clean garage, but there were some things we missed ... fixing the roads and repairing things discussed."

As of noon Monday, most of the World Cup branding remained at Kansas City Stadium/GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. However, the fan logistics outside the stadium, including fencing and signage, were part of the ongoing cleanup effort.

KSHB

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