Kansas City, Mo., has been named to the list of finalists, one of 32 North American cities that may serve as official hosts for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to an announcement today.
The United Bid Committee announced the list this morning from New York. There are four cities in Canada, three in Mexico and 25 cities in the United States on the list. If selected, Kansas City could hold a World Cup game could be held at Arrowhead Stadium.
“As we move to the next stage of the bid process, we’re even more confident we have everything needed to deliver the largest, most compelling FIFA World Cup in history and help accelerate the growth of soccer across North America and around the world,” said United Bid Chairman Sunil Gulati, in a news release. “We have more than double the number of cities required to stage matches in 2026. We have a vision for growing the game and engaging fans as never before. Our biggest challenge will be finding ways to honor the enthusiasm of all the people across Canada, Mexico and the United States through the development of our united hosting concept.”
Kansas City, Kansas, Mayor Mark Holland sent out a statement after the announcement of the bid.
“This news confirms to the rest of the country what we already know here in the heartland, that the KC metro is worthy of being called the soccer capital of America. As we move to the next round in the bid selection process, I know that we will have a strong case to make that Kansas City deserves to be a World Cup host,” said KCK Mayor Mark Holland.
“The Kansas City region has invested over $325 million in soccer facilities in the past decade, with another $500 million planned between now and 2026. As a region, KC and KCK sports venues offer numerous world-class soccer facilities, from Children’s Mercy Park in KCK, to Arrowhead Stadium in KCMO.
“Here in Kansas City, Kansas, we are home to the state-of-the-art Children’s Mercy Park, where Sporting KC recently became U.S. Open Cup Champions, cheered on by the greatest soccer fans in the U.S. The National Training and Coaching Development Center for soccer will open later this year. New soccer fields are flourishing all across the metro. And, of course, you can’t create a better atmosphere for a marquee soccer match than Arrowhead Stadium. You can be guaranteed that the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/KCK will be working with all of our regional partners to make this World Cup dream a reality.”
