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The world’s biggest event deserves the right stage:
Kansas City is in the heart of it all – geographically and culturally.
Once a starting point, now we’re a destination.
We’ve been called “underrated,” “up-and-coming,” and “the coolest city in America.” The list goes on.
Our “Paris of the Plains” isn’t so much resurgent as it is surging.
Roll the tape from the last decade of World Cup summers.
Arm-in-arm, thousands of fans made Kansas City’s downtown the best party in the United States again and again (and again).
We’re equal parts Midwestern humility and kindness, with a dash of big-city rowdy.
Vibrant, modern, and uniquely positioned to unite the region, Kansas City is ready to welcome the world.
Sports fans all over the country already know Kansas City as the “Soccer Capital of America,” AND NOW IT’S TIME TO SHOW THE WORLD.
KANSAS CITY, HERE IT COMES!
The FIFA World Cup is the largest and most prestigious single-sport event in the world and is followed by billions of fans all over the world. Since its inaugural tournament in 1930, the FIFA World Cup has been hosted 21 times. Occurring every 4 years, the 2026 World Cup will be the 23rd tournament and will return to the US for the 2nd time after 1994. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by up to 16 cities spread amongst America, Canada & Mexico and will be the first-ever tournament with 48 teams fighting for the title of World Champion.
In 2017, Forty-one cities across the United States, Mexico and Canada submitted bids to host matches, with the selection committee ultimately trimming the list down to 23 finalists for the official bid to FIFA. The finalists included 17 cities in the US (later trimmed to 16 when Baltimore and Washington D.C. merged bids), and three each in the United States and Canada.
The official 2026 World Cup Host Cities were announced to a global audience on June 16, 2022.
KC2026 Leadership Team
| KANSAS CITY MAYORS | |
|---|---|
| Honorable Quinton Lucas | Kansas City, MO |
| Honorable Tyrone Garner | Kansas City, KS |
| HONORARY CO‑CHAIRS | |
|---|---|
| Clark Hunt | Kansas City Chiefs Chairman and CEO |
| Cliff Illig | Cerner Corporation Co-Founder, Sporting Kansas City Principal Owner |
| HONORARY BID CAPTAINS |
|---|
| Patrick Mahomes |
| Salvador Perez |
| Matt Besler |
| KC2026 WORLD CUP BID DIRECTOR |
|---|
| Katherine Holland |
| EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE | |
|---|---|
| Trent Armbrust | Kansas Department of Commerce, Chief Strategy Officer |
| Lynn Berling-Manuel | Past CEO, United Soccer Coaches |
| Aaron Borns | Sporting Kansas City, VP of Marketing |
| Tim Cowden | Kansas City Area Development Council, President & CEO |
| Kimiko Gilmore | Deputy City Manager & Exec. Director of Convention & Entertainment Facilities |
| Shane Hackett | Heartland Soccer Association, Executive Director |
| Cheryl Harrison-Lee | Wyandotte County & Kansas City, KS Assistant County Administrator |
| Nathan Hermiston | Visit KC, SVP, Convention Sales & Services |
| Mike Kehoe | State of Missouri, Lt. Governor |
| Matt Kenny | Kansas City Chiefs, Arrowhead Operations & Events, EVP |
| Jonathan Knecht | Kansas City Area Development Council, Senior VP - Marketing & Creative |
| Randall Landes | Visit KC, Interim President & CEO |
| Angie K Long | Co-Founder/Owner of Kansas City Current |
| Christopher D Long | Co-Founder/Owner of Kansas City Current |
| Kathy Nelson | Kansas City Sports Commission & Foundation, President & CEO |
| Yann Passet | KC2026 FIFA World Cup Bid, Consultant |
| Brian Platt | City of Kansas City, MO City Manager |
| David Pruente | Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, SVP, Strategic Partnerships |
| Joe Reardon | Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, President & CEO |
| Jake Reid | Sporting Kansas City, President & CEO |
| Morgan Said | City of Kansas City, MO, Chief of Staff, Mayor's Office |
| Jeremy Slavens | Kansas City Chiefs, Arrowhead Events VP |
| Oscar Soberanes-Benitez | Consulate of Mexico in Kansas City, Deputy Consul |
| David Toland | State of Kansas, Lt. Governor |
| Geoff VanDeusen | CEO, United Soccer Coaches |
| Frank White | Jackson County Executive |
News
Kansas City named FIFA World Cup 2026 host city
Kansas City was officially named a FIFA World Cup 2026 host city on Thursday as FIFA, the sport’s global governing body, announced the 16 bids selected across the United States, Mexico and Canada to host matches for the largest event in World Cup history. HOST CITIES (16): Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Los…
KC2026 Executive Committee names Director of FIFA World Cup bid
The KC2026 Executive Committee has named Katherine Holland Director of Kansas City’s FIFA World Cup Bid. Holland will be responsible for day-to-day management of bid deliverables, will lead planning for an upcoming site visit and will help build local and regional government and civic support for the event. She will office at the Kansas City Sports…
KC2026 World Cup bid secures endorsements from surrounding states
As part of the on-going efforts to bring the 2026 FIFA World Cup to Kansas City, the KC2026 bid team has received endorsements from youth soccer associations located throughout the Midwest region. In addition to the Kansas State Youth Soccer Association and Missouri Youth Soccer Association, the Arkansas Soccer Association, Illinois Youth Soccer Association, Iowa…
SUPPORT IN ALL 50 STATES
OUR VISION is to UNITE the region and amplify our plans of an even greater way of life for ourselves, our neighbors, and our children.
We will leverage our PASSION, EXPERIENCE and REGIONALITY with a focused commitment to respecting and protecting Human Rights.
(Click here to view the KC2026 Human Rights Stakeholder Engagement Report)