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Featuring a 65-foot heart sculpture at one end of the National World War I Museum and Memorial’s south lawn and a 152-foot main stage at the other, KC2026’s FIFA Fan Festival in Kansas City expects to draw fans from more than 125 countries.
The heart of Kansas City's World Cup experience won't be inside GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, which will be called Kansas City Stadium during the tournament, it will be found on the grounds alongside the Liberty Memorial.
KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer got a sneak peek at the setup as organizers prepare to welcome the world to what KC2026 is billing as the city's biggest party.
The heart sculpture will greet fans as they arrive, serving as the centerpiece of the festival grounds and a nod to Kansas City’s beloved and ubiquitous hearts.
"That's going to be really the welcoming moment for all of the guests coming to the fan festival," said Populous Principal Bobby Sloan, who has helped oversee the festival’s design.
The main stage at the other end of the south lawn, which is expected to transform into a sea of soccer fans on game days, will feature a 50-foot-wide by 25-foot-tall screen flanked by smaller screens on the sides.
There also will be additional screens on two pairs of 55-foot towers — adorned with flags to simulate Kansas City’s fountains — between the heart sculpture and main stage, where a series of headliner concerts also are planned, giving the 25,000 fans allowed into Fan Fest each day plenty of viewing options.
The east side of the grounds will feature food options, games, a second stage and a 30,000-square-foot shade canopy to offer relief from the summer heat.
Sloan said Fan Fest is about more than just watching soccer.
"The Fan Fest is the soul of the tournament,” he said. “This is where most of the people are going to come down and have their World Cup experience.”
Mallory Cage, FIFA Fan Festival director for KC2026, said the heart sculpture is a deliberate statement about Kansas City's identity and vibe on a global stage.
"No other host committee has put up a 65-foot heart,” Cage said. “And I think once you walk through this entrance gable and see it behind me, it is really just going to set the tone for the week.”
Cage said she hopes the festival becomes a place where the city's hospitality shines.
"I hope folks get out and enjoy getting to meet all of the people here,” she said. “I think that's one of the things that makes our city so special is our hospitality. And I also think it's just fun to have this kind of mix of people coming.”
Fans from more than 125 countries have signed up for Fan Festival Kansas City tickets, according to KC2026.
Most tickets are free, but a general admission ticket does not guarantee entry, with capacity limited to 25,000 fans on any given day.
Only premium pass holders will be guaranteed entry. The premium options include the $55 Garden Pass, which provides access to private areas, including near the front of the stage, and the $225 Legacy Lounge Pass, which includes food and drink along with access to a climate-controlled space.
Fans attending are highly encouraged to use public transportation. Options include streetcar stops along Main Street and the Connect KC26 bus system, which has its hub a short walk from Fan Fest.
The festival's security entrance is a few minutes walk — an uphill one — from those stops at the south end of the museum's property, the same place it was for the 2023 NFL Draft.
For fans who can't afford game tickets, Brendan Cossette, a soccer fan from Columbia, Missouri, said the Fan Fest alone may be worth the trip.
"Even if I decide not to get tickets to the games, I want to come in and see the atmosphere and see the excitement around the World Cup," Cossette said. "Just being a part of the experience in and of itself is an experience, and so I think there's a ton of value in that."
Paul Carr, a World Cup researcher from Topeka, Kansas, echoed that sentiment.
"If you can't pay thousands of dollars for tickets — which is very understandable — at least try to get a flavor of it, because Kansas City is rarely, if ever, going to have this amount of international people coming to this city, especially with joy," Carr said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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