Kansas City’s World Cup planning organization unveiled a transit plan Tuesday with hopes that it will not only connect visitors to tournament events next summer but also give local residents a positive look at what public transportation can offer for the future.
The ConnectKC26 plan lays the groundwork for routes that will bring tournament goers to a central hub at the FIFA Fan Festival at Kansas City’s World War I Memorial from transit hubs as far out as Kansas City International Airport, Liberty, Lee’s Summit, Lenexa, the Legends and Lawrence.
The plan is meant to help the region handle the huge influx of travelers expected at the international soccer tournament for about a month in mid-June and early July. Kansas City is one of 11 U.S. host cities and expects about 650,000 tourists during the event.
Organizers, city and county leaders who were on hand at the announcement at Lenexa City Hall on Tuesday, also stressed that the plan, though temporary, could prompt more ridership and strengthen the transit system in years to come.
Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas said the effort could be “transformative,” and Johnson County Commission Chair Mike Kelly said it could show non-riders reasons to support public transit.
“There will be opportunities for people who may otherwise not utilize public transit to experience it in a new way to see that it can be convenient, to see that it can be timely and to hopefully utilize this as a launching point for great public transit where people want to go in the future,” Kelly said.
What’s in the transit plan
The transit plan, branded ConnectKC26, is an outline showing destinations and frequency of bus routes while the tournament is on.
It does not list specific streets or an exact timetable. Those specifics, plus any changes in frequencies, would be worked out after organizers learn which teams will be located here.
Three types of service will be offered:
- Airport Direct — This line brings visitors to and from KCI for 33 days, beginning on the first match day, June 11 and ending two days after the last Kansas City match. The buses would come and go every fifteen minutes, from KCI to the Fan Fest hub at the WWI Memorial.
- Region Direct — Buses would connect 15 regional locations (four in Johnson County) to the Fan Fest hub, about every 20 minutes. The service would run every day from two days before the first Kansas City match to two days after the last Kansas City match.
- Johnson County destinations include the Mission Transit Center, 5251 Johnson Drive; Oak Park Mall, at 95th Street near Interstate 35; the Overland Park Convention Center, 6000 College Blvd; and Lenexa City Center near Hyatt Place at 8741 Ryckert St.
- Stadium Direct — The service is for match ticketholders only and connects five locations to Arrowhead Stadium on the six match days. The locations are Oak Park Mall, FIFA Fan Festival transit hub, U.S. Highway 40 and Stadium Drive in Kansas City, Independence Center at 18801 E. 39th St., and North Kansas City at 520 E. 19th Ave.
The express route connecting Overland Park and Lenexa to the airport is separate from Connect KC and was not included on the route map or in the discussion.
City councils from both cities recently agreed with Johnson County to run a nine-month drop-off pilot program. In that program, riders would be dropped off at the bus stops but could not leave their vehicles. The new bus line is tentatively scheduled to begin on March 1, 2026, and would be free.
Encouraging bus ridership
The ConnectKC26 lines will have fares, but the amounts have not yet been determined, said Pam Kramer, CEO of the World Cup organizing group.
Once city leaders find out which national teams are coming and how many followers they may attract, organizers will be in a better position to set fares, she said.
Officials at the event were hopeful that their early start on the transportation challenge would put the area in a positive light and leverage public opinion toward bus ridership.
The cities were early on the draw to lease buses and now have 215 lined up, Kramer said. Tania Mahan, transportation integration manager for FIFA, praised metro leadership for providing an integrated plan that extends beyond just match days.
Kelly and Lucas also stressed that the plan is meant to be a supplement to existing transit and not to disrupt it.
“At least in Johnson County, and I believe in (the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority), we won’t be inhibiting existing service,” Kelly said. “This is an enhancement to existing service — one that I think is going to allow us to experience different parts of our region that we may unintentionally overlook on a day-to-day basis.”
Kramer gave one example of the benefits of the temporary bus lines. Public transit from Lenexa City Center to the Fan Fest location currently takes about an hour and 40 minutes. Once the temporary motorcoach lines start, that would be reduced to about 30 minutes, she said.
She also referred to research done during the planning process that said people would be willing to try public transit, especially if it’s convenient and gets them to entertainment. “We want them to embrace this as a staycation,” she said.
Lucas added that the World Cup services will connect areas of the city “that I don’t think we’ve always done a good job of. I think this is something that could be transformative for Kansas City.”
What’s next
This weekend will provide much of the information Kansas City organizers have been waiting for.
On Friday, the final draw for the 48-team tournament will happen at 11 a.m. The match venues and kick-off times will be announced on Saturday, Dec. 6.
Those events will be televised on several platforms, including FOX and FIFA’s YouTube account.
Information about Johnson County tournament events and news is also available on Johnson County United’s website.
