Kansas City will host six FIFA World Cup matches in the summer of 2026. Whether you’re a local or among the hundreds of thousands of people expected to travel in, KCUR put together a guide to the games, how to get tickets and what's happening in town.
A People's History of Kansas City: How we became a soccer city
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Courtesy of Jim Portuguez / Crysta Henthorne KCUR 89.3Kansas City may not have embraced soccer at all if not for the efforts of early immigrants who fought for the beautiful game — before there were even dedicated fields to play on. (En español.) -
Missouri Valley Room / Kansas City Public Library/ Crysta Henthorne/KCUR 89.3The founder of the Chiefs, Lamar Hunt, was a steadfast believer in soccer, from the failed attempts at a national league, through the creation of MLS and the very first U.S. soccer stadium. (En español.)
Leading up to the 2026 World Cup, KCUR's podcast A People's History of Kansas City is exploring how we became a soccer city. This project is in collaboration with the Great Game Lab at Arizona State University, which explores how sport connects us to the rest of the world, and the Us@250 Initiative at New America.
If you know about a local champion of soccer in Kansas City who helped bring the city to this extraordinary moment, email us at peopleshistorykc@kcur.org
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Kansas City and other World Cup host cities must provide stadium infrastructure, transportation, security, even medical support — with little help from FIFA, despite sky-high ticket prices. And the recent federal funding drama shows that "local pride" may not be enough to pay the bills. -
The new extension is less than a mile long, and will connect CPKC Stadium with the rest of the downtown streetcar line, near River Market. Several other Riverfront projects are expected to be completed at the same time. -
World Cup tickets are expensive, and buying them has been frustrating and confusing. But this is what economics is for: figuring out the best ways to allocate scarce resources. FIFA, steal these ideas. -
The federal government promised Kansas City $59 million in security funding for the World Cup. The partial government shutdown put funds’ release in limbo until the Department of Homeland Security announced last week it would start sending money. -
Iran is set to play three games in the U.S. this June. But amid the U.S.-Israel military campaign that has killed Iran's supreme leader, Iran's sports minister said the team would pull out. -
A bill sponsored by a Grain Valley Republican would allow a license or permit issued by Jackson County to be valid for a mobile food business operating under any municipality in the county.
