KC 2026 host committee updates appropriations committee on planning, security and use of Kansas funds

Lindsey Douglas, director of integrated operations for the KC 2026 host committee, gave a planning update to the Committee on Appropriations, outlining schedule, expected visitor volumes, base-camp plans, and how the state contribution will be spent.

Douglas told the committee Kansas City will host six matches, including a quarterfinal, and said the region expects a substantial influx of visitors. “We have something really exciting, coming in in 468 short days,” she said, and explained the committee is planning for both ticketed and non-ticketed visitors, fan festivals, base camps and infrastructure needs.

Douglas said public funding committed to the region totals about $111 million from state and local sources, including $27.4 million from the State of Kansas (originally proposed at $28 million) and $67.5 million committed by the state of Missouri; Kansas City, Missouri and Johnson County have also budgeted local funds. She described the Kansas allocation as split across safety and security, transportation, commercial marketing and a $3 million legacy line item, with contingency reduced from $2 million to $1.5 million as plans firm up. Douglas said the host committee’s agreement with the Department of Commerce had been finalized this week and that the first Kansas disbursement request would be modest — “about” $200,000 — reflecting eligible costs back to July 1.

On safety and security Douglas described mutual-aid planning among local jurisdictions and state coordinators, and said the host committee is coordinating working groups for the 18 FIFA-area planning requirements. “We don’t want to pull from the local area,” she said about personnel sourcing; instead the plan is to draw on mutual-aid systems so local coverage is not compromised. The host committee is seeking federal support as well; Douglas said the collective host-city federal ask totals $625 million, with $59 million allocated to Kansas City for mutual aid and security items.

Douglas outlined three Kansas-region base-camp locations identified for team training: Sporting Kansas City’s training facility at Compass Minerals, Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, and the Currents training facility in Riverside, Missouri. Each base camp was paired with a hotel in FIFA’s hosting brochure; Douglas said teams are focused on privacy and training conditions when choosing base camps.

On accommodations and transportation she said the bid included a radius showing availability of about 55,000 hotel rooms within a two-and-a-half hour drive and that VRBO/Airbnb listings were not counted toward that total. Douglas said host-committee mobility planning will prioritize airport connections, park-and-ride locations and bus-turning capacity; the first draft mobility plan is due to FIFA in March.

Douglas encouraged local governments and businesses to register for business opportunities and RFPs the host committee will post as sourcing ramps up. She said the host committee will continue to brief the legislature as planning and disbursements progress.

Committee members asked about mutual-aid and law enforcement coordination, how park-and-ride and corridor transportation might interact with local plans, whether VRBOs and short-term rentals are included in hotel registries (Douglas said they were not included in the 55,000-room tally), and how viewing parties and fan-activation rights relate to FIFA’s broadcast agreements. The committee did not vote on any appropriation during the briefing.