2026 World Cup Guide: Kansas City

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FIFA World Cup 2026 Travel Guide

Kansas City is known as the “soccer capital of America,” and it’s preparing for its biggest sports moment yet as the 2026 FIFA World Cup brings six matches, including a quarterfinal, to Arrowhead Stadium. The city’s public transportation, hospitality, and entertainment offerings will shift into high gear come June, with new logistics and crowd-flow systems designed specifically for the World Cup surge.

Kansas City has hosted multiple FIFA World Cup qualifying matches, the 2013 MLS All-Star game, and the 2013 MLS Cup final, so it’s wellqualified to host an event of this magnitude. It’s also home to three professional soccer teams, each with a passionate fan base: Sporting KC, Kansas City Current, and Kansas City Comets. The men’s professional soccer team, Sporting Kansas City, is a successful founding member of MLS in the Western Conference, with two MLS Cup wins and four US Open Cup wins. The women’s professional soccer team, Kansas City Current, competes in the premier National Women’s Soccer League, while the Kansas City Comets is a member of the Major Indoor Soccer League.

On top of that, Kansas City is fun and welcoming. The city’s official World Cup poster is called “Woven Together,” touching on the city’s two-state identity and its must-experience cultural icons: saucy BBQ, streetcars, and Union Station’s famous fountains.

Here’s your guide to all things Kansas City World Cup.

• About Arrowhead Stadium
• Tickets and matches
• Getting to Kansas City
• Getting around during the World Cup
• Details on the FIFA Fan Zone
• Hotels, soccer bars, and what else to do
• More about Kansas City/a>

Arrowhead Stadium, officially “GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium,” opened in 1972 and has been the home of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs for more than 50 years. It’s in Missouri’s Truman Sports Complex alongside Kauffman Stadium and seats anywhere between 67.000 to 76,000 fans, making it one of the largest stadiums in the NFL. A major renovation completed in 2010 added modern suites, a large concourse, and more social spaces, plus some interactive exhibits. Beyond NFL games, Arrowhead is also the go-to spot for concerts and major events in Kansas City.

The Kansas City World Cup schedule

• June 16, 2026: Argentina vs. Algeria — Group J
• June 20, 2026: Ecuador vs. Curaçao — Group E
• June 25, 2026: Tunisia vs. Netherlands — Group F
• June 27, 2026: Algeria vs. Austria — Group J
• July 3, 2026: Round of 32 match — Group K winner vs. a best third-place team
• July 11, 2026: Quarterfinal match — specific teams TBD

Tickets are on sale for all World Cup matches, though they’re current limited to fans who have won various ticket-buying lotteries. Open sales for the general public are expected to start in February or March 2026. FIFA uses dynamic pricing, meaning that prices for tickets change as demand ebbs and flows. Supposedly, ticket are available for as low as $140 a seat, though they could sell for many times that for the later stage or more in-demand matches.

How to get to Kansas City

Fly into Kansas City, Missouri (MCI) from major cities around the US and abroad, which may require a connection through a major hub such as DFW (Dallas-Fort Worth) or ORD (Chicago) depending where you’re coming from. Southwest Airlines will have new daily nonstop service between Kansas City International Airport and Boston Logan International Airport, plus weekend service to and from Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport and Norfolk International Airport. British Airways announced it would begin offering four nonstop flights per week between St. Louis Lambert International Airport and London Heathrow because, starting in mid-April 2026.

Driving between the airport and downtown KC usually takes 20-25 minutes. There’s a rental car facility at the airport reached via free shuttle bus, plus rideshare services.

It’s also easy to arrive by train. Amtrak is expanding its Missouri River Runner service to three daily trips between Kansas City and St. Louis starting in April 2026, with the aim of accommodating travel demand for the FIFA World Cup. The River Runner route includes stops such as Jefferson City, and riders can connect at Kansas City’s Union Station, which is also served by the Southwest Chief and linked to the KC Streetcar for local transit.

Getting around town during the World Cup

On weekdays, RideKC operates the free 229 bus route between Kansas City International Airport and downtown Kansas City. Service is available hourly, operating approximately 4 AM to 10 PM. View the 229 route schedule here.

During the World Cup, Kansas City will operate ConnectKC26, adding more than 200 motorcoach-style buses just to help fans move around during the matches. ConnectKC26 will run three types of routes, offering buses from throughout town to the stadium, buses from throughout town to attractions in and around Kansas City, and buses between Downtown and the airport. Passes will go on sale in early June, with service running roughly between June 11 and July 13. If you’re attending a Kansas City World Cup match, sign up for updates at this link so you can buy a pass as soon as they become available.

KC Streetcar, an electric fixed-rail vehicle, has recently been extended to cover a five-mile route. It’s free to ride to and from popular places including National WWI Museum and Memorial, River Market, Power & Light, Crossroads Arts District, Union Station/Crown Center, Midtown/Westport and Country Club Plaza. It will provide service to the FIFA Fan Fest at WWI Museum & Memorial and several districts where major groups of hotels are located, including the Kansas City Convention Center, Country Club Plaza, and Crown Center. However, it doesn’t go to Arrowhead Stadium.

It’s important to remember that parking is expected to be extremely limited at fan festival and stadium sites, so alternatives are essential for visitors.

The official Kansas City FIFA Fan Zone

Everyone loves a free party — especially if you couldn’t snag match tickets. Longtime Sporting KC head coach Peter Vermes said it best when he noted that “an unbelievable party is coming to Kansas City.” The official Kansas City FIFA Fan Fest will be held at the National World War I Museum and Memorial, one of the most iconic landmarks in the city, It’ll be able to accommodate up to 25,000 people, who will enter the space through a 65-foot-tall heart-shaped entrance. Fans should expect expansive video screens, multiple stages for live entertainment, dining zones with local food vendors, and other exhibitors and cultural displays.

The Fan Fest is planned to operate on at least all days that Kansas City hosts World Cup matches and will be free for attendees. Organizers have said they’ll prioritize accessibility and comfort (Kansas City can get hot), with shade, misting fans, and a family-friendly atmosphere.

Kansas City’s central location, world-class stadiums, and a pioneering fare-free public transit system should make it one of the easiest cities to visit for the World Cup 2026.

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