FIFA World Cup's base-camping nations viewed KC differently than we view ourselves

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In this case, not playing host to some of the world’s biggest sporting events worked in Kansas City’s favor.

We’re speaking, of course, about KC’s status as a host city and base-camp mecca for this summer’s FIFA 2026 World Cup.

“We’ve never hosted a Super Bowl, we’ve never had an Olympics,” said Pam Kramer, CEO of KC2026. “But there was a united, collective belief that this could be transformational for the way people think about Kansas City and the confidence we have in ourselves.”

Host city + king of base camps

Four months before the world’s biggest sporting spectacle arrives in North America, Kansas City is sitting pretty.

Along with six group-stage and knockout-round games in June and July, the region is officially playing host to four international soccer teams’ base camps:

— Defending World Cup champion Argentina decided to hold its base camp at Sporting KC’s facility despite playing two group-stage games in Dallas.

— England plays no group-stage matches in Kansas City, but the British became the first major world soccer power to show interest in holding its base camp here in KC. The Three Lions will train at Swope Soccer Village.

— The Netherlands, ranked among the world’s top seven teams, will set up base camp at the KC Current’s practice grounds.

— And Algeria, which plays two games here, officially announced Lawrence and Rock Chalk Park as its base camp site on Thursday.

As bidding to become a World Cup site — and then the process of attracting base camps — unfolded, Kansas City officials learned that some perceived drawbacks were being viewed by FIFA and potential visiting teams as strengths. And they leaned into them.

Flyover country? OK, but teams wanted to be near the country’s and continent’s geographic center to eliminate the possibility of cross-country travel. Argentina included the short flights from Kansas City in its statement announcing the decision to come here.

“That was also England’s big point,” said Jake Reid, Sporting KC president and CEO. “We don’t care what happens in the draw, can we get to where we need to go easily?”

Also, as one of the nation’s most spread-out cities — think about the distance from the airport, Arrowhead Stadium and Sporting KC’s stadium to downtown — traffic isn’t as much of an issue here as it is in some other cities.

A USA Today story last December listed the nation’s 25 worst cities for traffic. Ten of the 11 host cities in the U.S. made the list. Kansas City did not.

Tailgating 101 at Arrowhead

That also meant Kansas City was dinged for a lack of public transportation by FIFA. After a site visit, FIFA officials graded KC last among host-city candidates for transportation. Having no mass-transit train or subway system hurt, but Kansas City wanted to know why it ranked last.

FIFA downgraded KC after seeing a parking lot full of cars for a Chiefs home game. There wasn’t much to offer here in the way of public transportation — and no walking to the stadium, as is common in some other cities.

“That’s when we got to tell them about tailgating,” said Kathy Nelson, president of Visit KC and the Kansas City Sports Commission.

When KC officials took a visiting FIFA delegation to a Chiefs game in order to expose them to tailgating festivities, Nelson had to explain that fans didn’t arrive in a covered-wagon caravan. And that just about every vehicle in the parking lot would be a pickup truck.

“We’ve opened up a world to Kansas City that the world didn’t understand,” Nelson said. “And the transportation piece, we do take for granted how easy it is to get around here. I don’t think others see us the way we see ourselves.”

As for getting fans around the metro, KC2026 has obtained more than 200 buses that will that will connect visitors and fans to the airport, FIFA Fan Fest at the World War I Museum and Memorial, Arrowhead Stadium and more than a dozen locations around Missouri and Kansas, including Lawrence.

What Border War?

Also, for the smallest U.S. metro area to land World Cup games, cooperation from two sets of state governments was required.

Sporting KC is based in Kansas, the KC Current in Missouri. The four base camps will be split between the states.

Some $68 million in funding for stadium improvements, transportation, marketing and special events projects has been committed from Missouri and $28 million is earmarked from Kansas, in addition to funds from the city of Kansas City, Missouri and Johnson County, Kansas.

“KCK, KCMO, Jackson County, Johnson County, state level,” Reid said. “None of this happens if they’re not working together.”

Even the weather wasn’t a deterrent. In a story about the Dutch planning to make KC its base camp, BNR Newsradio, a Dutch all-news station, reported on its website: “Missouri is located in the so-called Midwest, and in the summer it’s much cooler than Texas, with lower humidity.”

We’ll see about that.

But it follows a theme. Kansas City’s list of cons for landing big national events — which traditionally include that we’re not big enough; don’t have attractions or nearby natural wonders; sit in a region that’s too spread out; or that we’re hamstrung by the state line — well, they didn’t work this time.

From an international perspective, Kansas City delivered the goods.

“Perhaps at one point we were happy to be nominated,” Kramer said. “We were happy to have a seat at the table. Now we want to be the best host city in the tournament.”