KC 2026 host committee outlines security, transportation and visitor plans ahead of World Cup matches in Kansas City

Lindsay Douglas, a KC 2026 host committee representative, told the Kansas House Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget Committee on Nov. 1 that "the largest sporting event in the world is gonna start in 489 days" and outlined preparations for six World Cup matches the Kansas City region will host in summer 2026.

Douglas told legislators the tournament will run from June 11 through July 19, 2026, and that the Kansas City area expects to be active for about 26 days of the competition. She said FIFA will feature 48 teams and 108 matches in the expanded tournament and that Kansas City has three facilities listed in FIFA’s base camp booklet: the Kansas City Current training facilities, Sporting Kansas City training facilities, and Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence.

Douglas said KC 2026 projects about 650,000 visitors to the region and a modeled direct economic impact of roughly $653 million. She described efforts to turn the event into a longer-term economic opportunity by showcasing regional industries such as agriculture, animal health and aviation to international business visitors.

The presentation stressed safety and security planning as KC 2026’s largest budget item. Douglas said the event currently carries a Department of Homeland Security SEER-2 rating, which opens federal resources and coordination. "We have a coordinator who's actually based in the Secret Service," she said, and added that the host committee has hired a director of safety and security with Secret Service experience and is working with federal, state and local law enforcement, CISA and other agencies on intelligence, cyber and operations planning.

On transportation, Douglas said KC 2026 has nearly finalized initial leases for 200 buses to create a tournament transportation overlay; by comparison she said current KCATA operations are about 150 buses. The overlay is intended to move visitors between airports, hotel clusters, fan festival and match sites. KC 2026 is also coordinating with the Mid-America Regional Council on a shared community calendar so jurisdictions can avoid scheduling conflicts that would strain public-safety resources.

Douglas described fan engagement plans including an official free Fan Festival (planned at roughly 24 days and a 25,000-capacity footprint for rotating crowds), volunteer recruitment (about 5,000 volunteers anticipated) and a host-committee portion of a FIFA app with journey-planning and visitor information. She said FIFA will release tickets later this year and that final group draws in December will shape which teams and fan bases visit Kansas City.

Legislators pressed the host committee on regional impacts and funding. Representative Long asked about security; Douglas said the host committee will cover costs for law-enforcement presence required at events and base camps: "KC 2026 is planning to cover the cost of all of the law enforcement presence that is needed at our events," she said. Representative Curtis and other members raised concerns that surge demands could strain routine public-safety services in communities across the region and asked how mutual aid and overtime costs would be managed. Douglas said KC 2026 has asked local jurisdictions for budget estimates, is factoring those costs into its planning, and will cover security requirements outside of facility perimeters when required.

Several legislators from parts of the region urged extra outreach and planning for communities with existing infrastructure challenges. A Wyandotte County representative said multiple local bridges and a major north–south route will be closed during the run-up to the tournament and pressed KC 2026 for plans to ensure residents can access work, medical appointments and schools while accommodating visitors. Douglas said she would route that concern to the transportation working group and to local planning partners for possible mitigation planning and park-and-ride/bathroom provisions at staging areas.

On funding, Douglas said Kansas Department of Commerce agreements outline how state funds will be distributed to deliver the most Kansas benefit. She said the host committee is balancing public and private fundraising and is coordinating with Missouri and local jurisdictions. During the hearing a committee member said the State of Missouri had committed $67 million and that a proposed governor’s budget included an additional $40 million; Douglas said she would provide a written budget update to the committee with more detail.

Douglas also described operational details for base camps: FIFA certifies base-camp facilities and manages team selections; Kansas City’s three facilities are included in FIFA’s booklet of candidate base camps, but teams select their base camps after the final draw. KC 2026 expects teams’ base-camp selections to be known in late 2025 or early 2026.

The host committee said it is coordinating with visitor bureaus, the governor’s subcabinet and other state agencies (including the Kansas Department of Children and Families on trafficking prevention) and has engaged the Mid-America Regional Council and local public-safety partners for joint operations and interoperability. Douglas said KC 2026 will support training exercises and has included tabletop and federal-partner training in planning.

Committee members asked for written follow-up. Douglas agreed to provide a written budget breakdown and follow-up materials, and the committee asked KC 2026 to continue that outreach to affected local governments and community groups.

Ending: The committee said it will receive a written update from KC 2026 and did not meet the following day; no formal committee action or vote occurred during the hearing.