From hotels to transportation, JoCo’s World Cup preparations a ‘work in progress’

Arranging enough transportation and lodging for the estimated 600,000 people who will visit Kansas City for the 2026 World Cup is a “work in progress,” says U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids.

But after a meeting with local businesses and elected officials, she said she still feels confident the area will be ready by kickoff time roughly a year and a half from now.

Davids held a brief press availability Thursday morning after the closed-door meeting, which was focused on the hospitality industry.

The meeting came a day after the U.S. Travel Association issued a report saying the country’s air travel system will be strained under the surge of international events like the World Cup soccer tournament and the 2028 Olympics and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

“I’m not surprised to hear folks in this area indicate their concerns,” Davids said.

But she added she is confident people from all walks will come together to make sure there are enough human and financial resources.

“I view reports indicating where we’re not ready yet as a helpful road map for how we make sure that we get ready,” she said.

Some big questions are whether the Kansas City area can get enough public transit to handle fans coming from the airport to Johnson County and other event locales, and whether there will be enough lodging for them when they get here.

As one of the host cities, Kansas City will be the venue for six World Cup games as well as numerous World Cup-adjacent fan events June 11 through July 19, 2026.

Davids acknowledged that hotel room availability is a “work in progress” but that many cities in a 100-mile radius are looking to build out or develop more capacity.

“Right now I think we are in a place where people see it as an opportunity,” she said.

As for how much lodging is going to be needed, she said, “I don’t know the specific numbers that we anticipate being short.”

Another concern is the future availability of federal funds for transportation, amid grant freezes and budget cutting that has happened over the past weeks with the Trump administration’s attempted freeze of federal funds.

“I think that right now what we’re seeing from the administration is I hope temporary,” she said, adding that she hopes bipartisan work in the House of Representatives will get some sticking points unstuck.

“I can tell you right now I am doing everything I can to help figure out ways that we insure the resources — whether it’s program dollars or grant dollars — that have already been included in budgets for municipalities, counties and our state actually do get released,” to the Kansas City area, she said.

Referencing her six years in Congress under both Republican and Democratic administrations, Davids said she still feels good about the chances of getting everything together in time for the tournament.

“It might look messy sometimes, but we usually get things done,” she said.

The area won its bid to be a host city in part because local leaders have shown they can work together, she said.