Kansas City has been included as an official Candidate Host City in the United Bid of Canada, Mexico, and the United States to be host of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The United Bid announced its list of 23 Candidate Host Cities that will be included in the Bid Book.
If selected, Kansas City would offer World Cup soccer events at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
If the 2026 FIFA World Cup is awarded to the United Bid, FIFA will select up to 16 Host Cities from the proposed slate of 23.
“Kansas City is the absolute perfect place to host the World Cup Soccer tournament in 2026. This City is welcoming, inviting, it’s diverse, it’s rich in culture and rich in attitude,” said Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Sly James. “We’re known for our food, we’re known for our barbecue, we’re known for our jazz, but most of all we’re known for our people. They are the nicest people in our country.”
“Kansas City is the soccer capital of the United States and is the ideal place to host games during the 2026 World Cup. As a region, KC and KCK offer numerous world class soccer facilities, from Children’s Mercy Park and the Pinnacle training facility in KCK, to Arrowhead Stadium in KCMO,” said Mayor David Alvey, Kansas City, Kansas, in a statement. “Being selected as part of the North American bid to host the World Cup shows what working together can accomplish. It also affirms the positive impacts of the economic development efforts the Unified Government has undertaken.”