Transportation options to Kansas City World Cup matches at Arrowhead Stadium could be more limited for Johnson Countians who have not already made reservations.
The Oak Park Mall park-and-ride location — Johnson County’s lone stop taking riders directly to matches at Arrowhead, renamed Kansas City Stadium for the World Cup — is already sold out for all four group stage matches Kansas City is hosting.
That includes the first match in Kansas City this coming Tuesday between Argentina and Algeria, as well as the other three group stage matches in Kansas City on June 20, 25 and 27.
A check with KC2026’s Stadium Direct bus pass purchase site showed there are still seats available for the July 3 and July 11 knockout matches, teams for which have yet to be determined.
What is Stadium Direct?
Stadium Direct is a temporary bus service that is being offered only for match ticket holders during the World Cup. To buy a bus pass at the KC2026 website, riders are asked to choose among six locations in the metro area to embark from.
(Stadium Direct is different from two other separate public transit services being offered during the World Cup: a free Airport Drop and Ride shuttle to KCI and Johnson County United Link circulating bus routes.)
A KC2026 spokesperson confirmed that some Stadium Direct bus locations were sold out and said more than one bus runs from Oak Park location but did not say whether local organizers are working on adding any more buses.
As for parking, around 300 stalls are reserved for World Cup bus riders at the Oak Park Mall park-and-ride, but there are plenty of other spaces available if those are filled up, said Karla Engel, senior general manager at the mall.
Additional security will be on duty, as well, and an Overland Park police mobile command unit will also be present, she said.
You can catch a bus from another Stadium Direct stop
Although Oak Park Mall isn’t available for Stadium Direct riders anymore through the group stage, they can still catch a ride to matches from any of the other Stadium Direct locations, according to the website.
But those come with disadvantages.
For instance, the bus stop near FIFA Fan Festival, 2644 Warwick Trafficway, and at the Country Club Plaza, 41 Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard, both in Kansas City, Missouri, do not offer parking. So anyone riding from there will have to get dropped off.
Other Stadium Direct locations at North Kansas City, 520 East 19th Avenue; Independence Center, 18801 East 39th Street, Independence; and Graceway park-and-ride, 5460 Blue Ridge Cutoff in Raytown, are considerably farther away.
Those strapped for a ride may have to weigh that inconvenience against the costs of other transportation and parking. Stadium Direct bus passes are $15 per round trip, and parking at Oak Park Mall is free.
Driving yourself to match will be expensive, complicated
It’s a different story if you decide to drive.
Kansas City has enacted a traffic management plan for the stadium that is a complicated mix of restricted roads and left turns that goes into effect up to seven hours before match time. Even people who live in adjacent neighborhoods have to have a permit to get in and out on match days.
Parking isn’t cheap either. Parking passes for the Argentina vs. Algeria match on June 16 were running about $150, but parking overall ranges anywhere from $125 to as much as $700. It’s available officially from FIFA Just Park and must be prepaid.
The Center for the Developmentally Disabled, just across Blue Ridge Cutoff from the stadium, has opened up its parking lots for $60 near Gate 2. Tickets are available online here.
