Johnson County officially launched its World Cup branding umbrella — Johnson County United — Wednesday with a rally full of optimism and hope that the international recognition and enhanced services will become a permanent part of the county’s legacy.
“It’s about building a legacy. It’s about making sure the investments we’ve made now are not just for 33 days but for years to come,” said Johnson County Commission Chair Mike Kelly. “We are not just preparing for a tournament; we’re building infrastructure, building partnerships and momentum that will benefit Johnson County, benefit the metro and benefit the state of Kansas for years to come.”
Kelly emphasized that the expanded public transit system is an important benefit of being a host region that he hopes will carry through after the tournament is over.
It has been one area county officials have worked hardest on since the Power and Light District watch party three and a half years ago when Kansas Citians first learned they would become a hosting hub.
Kelly said during a press gaggle afterwards that as organizational work began, Kansas City ranked 15th of the 16 host cities for public transportation, just edging out Guadalajara, Mexico.
“We realized we needed an enhanced level of transportation to meet expectations of our guests coming from across the world,” he said.
Since then the regional World Cup organization has set up temporary bus routes to and from the airport and Arrowhead Stadium, where matches will be played. Johnson County has piggybacked on that system with a circulator route moving through seven cities and a pilot route to and from the airport.
That, plus work on safety and security for the tournament has been done with the partnership of the county’s cities, the state and federal resources, he said.
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids also mentioned a World Cup legacy, saying “future generations are really going to see benefits because of this.”
Davids founded a Congressional World Cup 2026 caucus that helped secure $625 million for public safety and $100 million in public transit services nationwide, she said.
The event at the Overland Park Convention Center opened with cities and other entities advertising their special events at tables around the edges. Leawood Councilmember Lisa Harrison made an appearance in an inflatable soccer ball costume to draw attention to Leawood’s efforts. Tech N9ne played a number dedicated to the Kansas City World Cup effort on a video as the speakers were about to begin.
With the World Cup only 90 days away, other speakers spoke confidently of being ready to meet the surge of visitors expected to be in the area for the month-long tournament.
Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog told attendees that the rebuilt farmers market near the Clock Tower will be done in time to become a key gathering place. He said the ribbon cutting is scheduled for June 5.
Neal Sharma, vice president of the regional organizing group KC2026, said the eyes of the world will follow Kansas City, the only city to host more than one first-tier team, and the only city besides New York City to host four teams. The area will be a training camp home to teams from Argentina, England, the Netherlands and Algeria.
It’s an opportunity for the area to propel itself onto the global stage, Sharma said. “(The World Cup) is the biggest event mankind has ever hosted in the history of mankind. Prove me wrong,” Sharma said, noting that some 1.3 billion people will likely watch the World Cup final. He added that if stars align, then Kansas City could conceivably be the site of a match between two soccer icons — Christiano Ronaldo, of Portugal and Lionel Messi of Argentina.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity for our region, and we’re not going to waste our shot at it,” Sharma said.
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