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Kansas City, USA, 2026 World Cup City Guide
Everything you need to know about visiting Kansas City for the 2026 World Cup ⛲
✒️ By the worldcup-travel.com team | 📅 Published 11 May 2025
Hey there! Start planning your Kansas City 2026 World Cup journey with our city travel guide. It’s chock-full of information on the best sights and sounds Kansas City has to offer. We’ll tell you how to get here, how to travel between host cities, and all there is to know about Arrowhead Stadium (coined" “Kansas City Stadium” by FIFA). We also have tips on where to stay in Kansas City and how to get around during your 2026 World Cup adventure.
Learn more about visiting Kansas City for the World Cup
Kansas City: Perfectly primed to host the 2026 World Cup
Kansas City, or KC for short, is located on the Kansas and Missouri state border, almost smack dab in the middle of the USA. This Midwestern city of 518,000 folks is sometimes known as the “Paris of the Plains” because of its rockin’ night scene with some of the best jazz clubs in the country. The nickname came about during the Prohibition era, thanks to the city’s lax attitude on illegal alcohol trade and proliferation of speakeasies.
Kansas City is also known for its 200-plus fountains, amazing BBQ joints, and sports fans who claim they’re the loudest around. In addition to Major League Baseball’s (MLB) KC Royals and National Football League’s (NFL) KC Chiefs, the city is also home to two professional soccer leagues: The MLS Sporting Kansas City and the WMLS Kansas City Current. In 2024, Kansas City debuted its CPKC Stadium, built exclusively for professional women’s soccer, which makes the city a perfect choice for the 2026 World Cup. They’ve even given themselves another nickname: “The Soccer Capital of America.” Let’s see if they live up to the moniker.
What’s also great about Kansas City is that it is a pretty affordable city to visit. Costs for lodging, dining, and events are comparatively low to other USA cities. That being said, we do expect prices to spike come time for the tournament. So perhaps start planning your 2026 World Cup Kansas City travel early to lock in some lower rates.
Kansas City 2026 World Cup FAQs
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Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City Stadium) is located in Kansas City, MI, nine miles southwest of Downtown KC. It’s about a 15-minute drive without traffic. Read more on our Kansas City 2026 World Cup transport page.
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MLS: Sporting Kansas City play at Children’s Mercy Park which got some high-tech upgrades over the last five years.
NWSL: Kansas City Current play at CPKC Stadium, the world’s first purpose-built stadium for a women’s pro soccer team!
USL: Santafé Wanderers is a community-built team joining USL League One in 2025.
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Six World Cup games, in total, will be played in Kansas City: Four group stage games, one Round of 32, and one quarter final.
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Summertime in Kansas City is fairly hot. June is slightly more comfortable, with temps ranging between 65°F (18°C) and 83°F (28°C). July will have average highs around 90°F (32°C), never really dropping below the low-70s°F (21°C).
June has some rain, and in July there can be even more showers. KC is part of Tornado Alley – the name given to a region of midwestern states that are prone to the destructive weather patterns. Luckily, tornado season ends around mid-June,
Which 2026 World Cup matches will be held in Kansas City?
Match 19 – Tuesday, June 16, 2026 – Group Stage (Group J)
Match 34 – Saturday, June 20, 2026 – Group Stage (Group E)
Match 58 – Thursday, June 25, 2026 – Group Stage (Group F)
Match 69 – Saturday, June 27, 2026 – Group Stage (Group J)
Match 87 – Friday, July 3, 2026 – Round of 32 (Knockout stage)
Match 100 – Saturday, July 11, 2026 – Quarter-final (Knockout stage)
Fan-Fueled Adventures in Kansas City
Above: Britt and friends gearing up for a game outside of Arrowhead. Below: Fiery scenes inside the stadium. Photos courtesy of Britt Welch.
We spoke to sports-mad locals to get their take on the 2026 World Cup host cities they call home.
Britt Welch is a Kansas City Chiefs fan with plenty of gameday experience at Arrowhead Stadium (or Kansas City Stadium, if you’re FIFA). Britt recommends:
Get there early. Arrowhead Stadium is legendary for tailgating, and KC fans treat soccer games just like Chiefs games — the parking lot becomes a massive party. Bring a cooler and chairs and plan to hang out before kickoff. Cars usually line up for hours before the parking lots open. It’s all part of the gameday experience.
Dress for the weather. Kansas City summers are hot and humid, so wear breathable clothes and bring plenty of sunscreen.
Be ready for passionate fans. Kansas City loves its soccer — especially with the local pride for Sporting KC and the KC Current. The energy inside the stadium is wild (in a good way) and fans are friendly.
TRY THE BARBECUE. It’s what KC is known for, full stop.
Get more in-the-know tips from Britt in our Kansas City World Cup transport guide.
Visiting Kansas City for the 2026 World Cup
Because the region has built-in enthusiasm for soccer, attending the World Cup in Kansas City is going to be a great experience for fans, and lower price-points will definitely make it easier on your wallet. But as the city is spread out, and the only public transportation is the local bus (other than the free trolley in the downtown area – yay), renting a car or using Uber and Lyft will be your preferred modes of transportation. Local government does have plans to increase funding and access for public transit (see our Kansas City World Cup transportation guide for more information), so hopefully that will improve things. And, of course, walking is a possibility, but we suggest limiting those strolls to a particular neighborhood.
Doing KC like a local
Kansans love being tourists in their own town – just count how many locals wear KC shirts! Just because it’s a popular tourist destination for BBQ and jazz, doesn’t mean the locals don’t partake. In Kansas City, everybody gets in on the action.
Depending on where you go in the USA, BBQ culture varies significantly. When you’re in KC, you know you’re having it Kansas City-style when you’re served burnt ends smothered in a thick, tomato-based sauce mixed with molasses and spices. Try Joe’s KC BBQ and you won’t be disappointed.
During the summer months, there are lots of outdoor markets and music venues. Lemonade Park has a good rotating list of acts. Since KC is best known for its jazz, it’s pretty hard to recommend just one or two venues, but we’ve heard the Mutual Musicians Foundation (The Foundation, to those in the know) is the place to be. You’ll need to be a serious night owl, though, since things don’t get going until after 1 am. That’s when all the local jazz musicians finish up their other gigs and head to The Foundation. At least the late start gives World Cup fans plenty of time to get there from Kansas City Stadium.
If you’re in KC for sports (which you will be, of course), you really can’t miss the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. It’s the only museum in the world dedicated to the history of African-American baseball and its impact on American sports and culture.
