Local Leaders Prepare for World Cup Excitement

THE COUNTDOWN IS ON. WE ARE JUST 100 DAYS OUT FROM KANSAS CITY’S FIRST MATCH OF THE 2026 FIFA MEN’S WORLD CUP, AND A LOT HAS BEEN HAPPENING. THAT’S MY FAULT. WE ARE JUST 100 DAYS OUT FROM KANSAS CITY’S FIRST MATCH OF THE 2026 FIFA MEN’S WORLD CUP, AND A LOT IS HAPPENING BEHIND THE SCENES TO WELCOME HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF FANS TO TOWN. THE STREETCAR LINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED. SHUTTLE BUS SERVICES ARE TAKING SHAPE AND ORGANIZERS ARE REALLY WORKING HARD ON THE FIFA FAN FESTIVAL THAT WILL TAKE OVER THE LIBERTY MEMORIAL LAWN. WE THINK. NO BETTER SPORTS TOWN IN THE WORLD THAN KANSAS CITY. SO REALLY LEANING INTO GAME DAY TRADITIONS, TAILGATING. WHAT MATCH DAYS LOOK LIKE IN KANSAS CITY, WHAT OUR FAN TRADITIONS ARE CELEBRATING, SOME OF THE MOMENTS THAT HAVE DEFINED NOT JUST THE TRADITIONS THAT WE HAVE, BUT THE INNOVATION THAT WE’RE KNOWN FOR, THE WAY THAT WE HAVE SHAPED SPORTS. ORGANIZERS SAY REGISTRATION FOR THE FAN FESTIVAL OPEN SOON, AND IT WILL BE FREE TO RESERVE A SPOT. NEEDLESS TO SAY, BUSINESSES CANNOT WAIT FOR THE BOOST IN CROWDS. SOME 650,000 FANS ARE EXPECTED IN THE KANSAS CITY REGION, WITH A DIRECT ECONOMIC IMPACT EXPECTED TO TOP $653 MILLION. THOSE ARE NUMBERS ON A SCALE WE DO NOT USUALLY SEE HERE IN OUR AREA IN THAT SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, AND ACCOMMODATING THAT VOLUME IS NO EASY TASK. I SAT DOWN WITH JOE REARDON, HEAD OF THE GREATER KANSAS CITY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, TO SEE HOW THE METRO IS GETTING READY FOR THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT 100 DAYS OUT. I MEAN, THAT’S A BIG MILESTONE CONSIDERING HOW MUCH TIME HAS GONE INTO THE PLANNING HERE. WHAT’S GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND RIGHT NOW? HUGE MILESTONE, 100 DAYS. I MEAN, IT’S RIGHT. IT’S WITHIN SIGHT, RIGHT? AND, YOU KNOW, OUR WORK AT THE CHAMBER STARTED ALL THE WAY BACK IN 2023. EVEN BEFORE THAT, IN SOME OF THE EARLY PLANNING, BUT REALLY ON THE GROUND WORK. SO THIS HAS BEEN YEARS IN THE MAKING AND IT’S SORT OF BEEN A PROCESS. RIGHT. WE’VE WE LEARNED THAT WE WERE GOING TO HOST MATCHES. WE DIDN’T KNOW HOW MANY. THEN WE LEARNED HOW MANY MATCHES, WHICH WAS MORE THAN EVERYBODY EXPECTED. THEN WE KNEW WE WERE GOING TO HAVE SOME BASE CAMPS. NOW WE HAVE MORE THAN EVER AND SOME OF THE BEST TEAMS IN THE WORLD ALL COMING TO KANSAS CITY. I MEAN, THE EXCITEMENT HAS TRULY BUILT AT EVERY STAGE, AND NOW IT’S WITHIN EYESIGHT OF US. JUST IN A FEW MONTHS. WHAT’S GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES RIGHT NOW? WHERE ARE YOU TELLING YOUR BUSINESSES? WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM THEM? WITH THEM FOR, FOR LITERALLY FOR YEARS. WE STARTED ENGAGEMENT BACK IN 2023 ALL OVER THE REGION. WE PARTNERED WITH MANY OF OUR CHAMBERS ACROSS THE REGION AND GATHERING SMALL BUSINESSES, COMMUNITY GROUPS TOGETHER TO SORT OF SET EXPECTATIONS. SO I THINK THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF ENGAGEMENT. HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE HAVE BEEN INVOLVED ALL OVER IN EVERY CORNER OF THE REGION. AND NOW I THINK YOU’RE GETTING TO NOT JUST UNDERSTANDING WHAT IT IS, BUT PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO EXECUTE, WHICH IS SUPER IMPORTANT. AND THAT’S WHAT WE NEED TO HAVE HAPPEN AT THIS POINT. BUT I FEEL LIKE A LOT OF GOOD WORK EARLY IS LEADING TO A REALLY GOOD PLACE TODAY. LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT. WHAT ARE THE NEXT 100 DAYS LOOK LIKE? YEAH, I THINK YOU’LL START TO SEE SORT OF THE PHYSICAL CHANGES THAT ARE THAT’LL BE HAPPENING. WE KNOW THEY’VE HAPPENED AT ARROWHEAD. WE’VE YOU KNOW, WE’RE RIGHT DOWN THE HILL FROM WHERE YOU’RE GOING TO SEE, YOU KNOW, AN INCREDIBLE FAN FEST. I THINK IT’S GOING TO BE THE BEST IN THE COUNTRY, QUITE FRANKLY, IN THE WAY THAT IT’S GOING TO LAY ITSELF OUT. AND IN THE KIND OF COMMUNITY FLAVOR WE WILL HAVE THERE. AND THEN I THINK YOU’RE SEEING BUSINESSES ACTUALLY STARTING TO MAKE THOSE PLANS, MAKING SURE THAT THEY’VE IF YOU’RE A RESTAURANT THAT YOU’VE GOT SUPPLIES THAT ARE ADEQUATE. I HEARD FROM SOME BUSINESSES THAT ARE TALKING ABOUT GETTING EXTRA COOLER SPACE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE KINDS OF GOODS THAT THEY NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL DURING THAT TIME. SO IT’S EXECUTION TIME. AND AND WE’RE SEEING THAT START TO HAPPEN EVERYWHERE. AND WE’LL BE DOING SOME ENGAGEMENT AT THE CHAMBER TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR BUSINESSES ARE WORLD CUP READY. WE’RE GOING TO BE DO SOME CULTURAL AND LANGUAGE TRAINING IN THE COMING MONTHS TO MAKE SURE THAT PARTICULARLY AROUND THE BASE CAMPS, THAT, YOU KNOW, KANSAS CITY IS A WELCOMING PLACE. THAT’S ONE OF OUR SIGNATURES. AND WE AND I THINK THERE’S AN INTEREST AND WE WANT TO HELP TO MAKE SURE THAT WE’RE WELCOMING PEOPLE FROM PLACES THAT MAYBE HAVE NEVER BEEN HERE BEFORE. AND THAT’S THE KIND OF THING WE’RE STARTING TO DO NOW, REAL PRACTICAL, MAKING SURE WE’RE READY. YOU TALK ABOUT JUST THIS UNIQUE SITUATION THAT KANSAS CITY AND OTHER HOST CITIES ARE IN. YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE COUNTRIES THAT ARE COMING, YOU DON’T KNOW ALL OF THE COUNTRIES THAT ARE NECESSARILY COMING. HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR THAT CULTURE SHIFT? THE DIFFERENCES, YOU KNOW, TASTE, CUISINE, ALL OF THAT? YEAH. YOU KNOW, I THINK SOME OF IT’S REALLY GOOD PLANNING. AND SO WE DO KNOW SOME OF THE TEAMS TODAY AND WE KNOW WHO’S GOING TO BE HERE. BASE CAMP. AND I THINK THAT’S IMPORTANT. THEY’RE GOING TO BE HERE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD. AND THINK ABOUT THIS FOR A MOMENT. WORLD CUP HAPPENS EVERY FOUR YEARS FOR MANY OF THESE COUNTRIES, ARGENTINA FOR INSTANCE, OR ENGLAND. IT’S ONE OF THE BIGGEST ATHLETIC EVENTS IN THEIR IN THEIR COUNTRY. AND SO YOU’RE GOING TO SEE PLAYERS THAT ARE COMING. THEY’RE GETTING AN OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY IN A SPORT THAT’S THE BIGGEST IN THEIR COUNTRY, AND THEY’RE GOING TO BRING THEIR FAMILIES TOO. SO WE’RE NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT PLAYERS AND THE COACHES AND THAT SORT OF THING. YOU’RE SEEING AN EXTENDED STAY BY FAMILIES AS WELL, SO WE WANT TO BE READY FOR THOSE THAT ARE GOING TO BE WITH US FOR A WHILE. BUT WE ALSO KNOW AND, YOU KNOW, KANSAS CITY IS IS ABSOLUTELY KNOWN FOR FOLKS COMING HERE FOR A GREAT WEEKEND AND GOING TO A ROYALS GAME OR A CHIEFS GAME OR SPORTING. WE’VE DONE THAT FOR A LONG TIME. 3 OR 4 DAY ADVENTURE INTO KANSAS CITY FOR A WORLD CUP TRAVELER, THE AVERAGE IS NINE DAYS. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT A LONG TRIP, AND THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN AS OFTEN IN KANSAS CITY. SO MAKING SURE THAT THEY HAVE THINGS TO DO THAT, THAT WE’RE WELCOMING THEM IN A WAY THAT THEY CAN GET OUT AND ABOUT, THAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT. IT’S VERY DIFFERENT. WE’RE GOING TO SEE THEY’RE GOING TO BE PART OF US FOR A WHILE, WHICH IS GREAT. WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE RIGHT NOW, DO YOU THINK? I THINK THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE, I THINK THERE’S A LOT OF CHALLENGES THAT ARE OUT THERE, RIGHT. IT’S THE FIRST TIME WE’VE EVER DONE A LARGE SCALE EVENT LIKE THIS. THE GOOD NEWS IS, IS THAT WHILE OTHER CITIES LARGER THAN US HAVE DONE THINGS LIKE THIS, NO ONE HAS DONE ANYTHING LIKE THIS. THE LENGTH OF TIME ALL THESE CITIES ACTIVATED AT THE SAME TIME. AND I ABSOLUTELY BELIEVE THAT WE’VE DONE OUR HOMEWORK, WE’VE DONE OUR GOOD WORK AROUND COORDINATION TO GET IT DONE. AND SO I THINK THE CHALLENGE NOW IS EXECUTION. GETTING ALL THE BUSSES INTO TOWN, MAKING SURE WE’VE GOT THAT SYSTEM DOWN PAT, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT WE’VE GOT LINES OF COMMUNICATION, ALL THAT’S GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES NOW, AND YOU’RE GOING TO SEE A TRANSFORMATION IN A PHYSICAL WAY IN THE COMING MONTHS THAT I THINK IS GOING TO BE QUITE EXCITING. COUNT ON KMBC NINE NEWS FOR YOUR WORLD CUP COVERAGE WILL BE WITH YOU EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. AS OUR REGION PREPARES TO HOST THE LARGEST SPORTING EV