Representatives from the Kansas City 2026 World Cup Bid Committee completed a one-on-one presentation to members of FIFA and U.S. Soccer today as part of the next phase of the event’s venue selection process. Kansas City is one of 17 candidate host cities in the United States in consideration to host matches for the FIFA World Cup 2026™. Today’s virtual meeting was a critical step in the on-going process with final site selections expected to be announced in 2021.
“We presented a strong, cohesive vision that demonstrates Kansas City’s experience hosting major sporting events as well as our ability to unite an entire region around those events,” says Kathy Nelson, President & CEO of the Kansas City Sports Commission. “Kansas City has demonstrated a commitment to growing the game of soccer and hosting World Cup matches in 2026 would allow us to cement our legacy as the Soccer Capital of America.”
"The 2026 FIFA World Cup will unite three countries as the United States, Mexico and Canada host our sport's premier event. Kansas City is perfectly positioned in the heart of North America to welcome the world and our bid’s vision is to unite our region around this momentous occasion," said Sporting Kansas City President and CEO Jake Reid. "Today was another important opportunity to showcase our region as a thriving destination with incredible support for soccer as we take the next step in bringing the World Cup to the Midwest."
The KC2026 Bid Committee is comprised of representatives from the state and local levels in both Kansas and Missouri, as well as The Kansas City Sports Commission, Sporting KC, the Kansas City Chiefs, VisitKC, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, United Soccer Coaches and Heartland Soccer Association.
On Tuesday, FIFA and U.S. Soccer conducted an interactive online Candidate Host City Workshop. FIFA provided an overview of the venue selection process while outlining the focus areas for the assessment of candidate host cities and addressing the rules and procedures relating to the venue selection process.
Following today’s presentation, FIFA will schedule venue visits for each of the proposed host cities and stadiums. In line with FIFA’s policy to follow the recommendations of the health authorities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, visits to all cities will take place whenever it is safe to do so. The FIFA administration will then submit a proposal to the FIFA Council, which is set to appoint the FIFA World Cup 2026™ host cities in 2021.
Visit KC2026.com for updates throughout the bid process and to support the Kansas City 2026 World Cup Bid efforts. FIFA has also launched a dedicated section of FIFA.com for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ featuring profiles of the three host countries and the respective candidate host cities, as well as information about the tournament in four languages.
