'Once in a lifetime opportunity' - Kansas City readies for World Cup influx
· Yahoo Sports
"I never imagined the World Cup coming to my city," says Héctor Solorio, who has lived in Kansas City for 26 years and supports the local Major League Soccer team, Sporting Kansas City.
Hector is thrilled to welcome the world to Kansas City and prove that it's a football city of global renown - even if he doesn't truly believe the US Men's National Team can achieve much in the tournament.
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"I think it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said fellow Kansas City resident Alejandro Cabero when asked by the BBC how he felt about his city hosting some matches.
"When I came here there was no soccer around. The KC Wizards [Sporting's previous name] had fewer than 3,000 fans. It's amazing."
Located on the banks of the Missouri River in the heartland of the United States, the Kansas City metropolitan area - which straddles the state border between both Kansas and Missouri - is home to roughly 2.5 million people, making it one of this tournament's smallest host cities.
It may not be in the top 30 largest metro areas in the US but it has an outsized influence in sporting terms. It's home to the most dominant NFL team in recent years, the Kansas City Chiefs, and hosts premier sporting events like the Big 12 college basketball tournament.
It will host six World Cup soccer matches, including a round-of-32 match and a quarter-final. Four nations - Algeria, world champions Argentina, England and the Netherlands - will base themselves in the area.
Harry Kane's England team will be based in the area [Getty Images]City, state, and tournament officials see the World Cup as an opportunity to show the world what the region has to offer.
"We're a city that has always punched above our weight in barbecue, in African American music, in sports, in the warmth of our people," Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas told the BBC. "This summer is our chance to share that with the world on the biggest possible stage."
Local anticipation is building. Solorio plans to get a ticket to attend the Argentina v Algeria match on 16 June, while Cabero will be organising a typical Argentinian banderazo - a pre-game street party - the day before.
[Getty Images]Cabero owns a local empanada manufacturing business, and said he was preparing food for about 600 people but he expects as many as 10,000 people.
The planned banderazo is a taste of the excitement brewing in the city ahead of the World Cup. Mexico City may be hosting the opener of this summer's tournament, and New York will host the final - but Kansas City is set to play a key role of its own.
Ahead of the arrival of football fans from across the planet, Cabero is far from the only local business owner hard at work in planning for a huge influx of visitors.
Businesses - and the city - ready themselves
To ensure visitors maximise their stay in the area, the KC 2026 organisers are collaborating with Fifa, and state and local officials from Kansas and Missouri, to set up an official fan festival at the National WWI Museum and Memorial, one of the most iconic locations in the city.
The festival will be free and open for 18 days during June and July. It will involve live match broadcasts, community-driven events and watch parties for different neighbourhoods.
With fans from Europe, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean expected to descend on the region, KC 2026 chief executive officer Pam Kramer and her staff have been developing KC Game Plan, an initiative to help small and locally owned businesses prepare to meet the moment.
The playbook, available in English and Spanish, offers local business owners cyber training, data on expected visitors and hospitality guides, among other tools.
Kramer says the goal is to guarantee that "when visitors arrive, they encounter Kansas City businesses that are ready to meet demand and confident in showcasing what makes them unique."
Cabero, for example, will do his part by ensuring his empanada business offers unique flavours inspired by visiting nations - such as paella, bratwurst, and shepherd's pie.
But not everyone is convinced that Kansas City is as prepared as it could be.
Doug Langner and Raúl "El Padrino" Villegas are key figures in the local community. Langner is the executive director of the community homeless shelter Hope Faith, and a lifelong football fan - he even runs a local fan club of German team Werder Bremen. Villegas is a soccer retail and facility owner on the Kansas side of the river.
Speaking about the World Cup's expected impact on the local community, Villegas pointed out three concerns: the limited number of hotels, the lack of transportation to World Cup events for fans on the Kansas side of the Missouri River, and ICE's presence.
Sporting Kansas City plays in the MLS Western Conference [Getty Images]Langner expressed a fear that the city's homeless population, roughly 2,000 people, "are going to get squeezed out", because hotels that are often used to address homelessness will be occupied by travelling fans.
With millions of dollars being poured into security and infrastructure, Langner would like to see those most in need reap some of the rewards. He asked: "How do we connect the people who could use that bump the most to those opportunities?"
To Langner, it remains unclear how the city will economically benefit from the tournament.
Messi factor to boost improving areas
Elsewhere in Kansas City, there are hopes that recently improved districts will be further benefited by the arrival of the football.
World champions Argentina will be staying on the Berkley Riverfront esplanade, an area of the city that was renovated by Port KC and the NWSL team KC Current back in 2021.
Argentina's presence is expected to be a boon for the local economy, with locals anticipating increased purchases at local shops and heavy foot traffic from fans trying to get a glimpse of Argentina captain Lionel Messi.
The renovation project is part of a long-term and intentional commitment to improve football-specific infrastructure in the Kansas City metro area. "Over the past 15 years, this region has invested nearly $700m (£520m) in soccer infrastructure," Kramer said.
Patrick Pierce, director of communications for Port KC, expects the long-term commitment to pay off handsomely, with close to two million people visiting the riverfront in 2026, thanks in large part to the World Cup.
World-class soccer facilities, superior hospitality, and a central location are what Kramer believes allowed Kansas City to land six games, act as a base camp for four nations, and be seen as a trusted partner by key stakeholders.
The arrival of Messi and co is a major moment in the city's history, but local officials have made a big deal of throwing their doors open to nations big and small.
Curacao is another of the nations that will play a group stage game in Kansas City. The Caribbean nation will play against Ecuador on 20 June, and will spend two nights in the city as they look to enjoy their first-ever tournament.
Its football federation president, Gilbert Martina, noted that "there is already a cultural bridge through music and celebration" because both Kansas City and Curacao embrace jazz. Curacao hosts the North Sea Jazz Festival, which attracts visitors from around the world.
There is also a convergence in values, says Martina, who notes that Kansas City's strong Midwestern traits of "resilience, community, and pride" are qualities his countrymen respect and relate to.
One of the challenges facing Kansas City as a host will be to deliver a world-class tournament that showcases the romance of a tiny country playing on the planet's biggest sporting stage - while still keeping the locals happy.