- City: Kansas City
- State: Missouri
- Country: United States of America
- Time difference between the UK: Minus 6 hours
- Average June Temperature: 29℃ (Humidity warning)
Kansas City
Welcome to Kansas City
Welcome to Kansas City, where barbecue is treated with near-religious seriousness, fountains appear absolutely everywhere, and football support has quietly become one of the strongest in the United States.
Straddling the border between Missouri and Kansas, Kansas City is one of the more underrated host cities at this World Cup. It’s smaller and easier to navigate than places such as Los Angeles or New York, but still has excellent sport, nightlife and atmosphere. England will be based here throughout the tournament.
Kansas City is one of the major cities of the American Midwest, located on the western edge of the state of Missouri, close to the border with Kansas. The city grew rapidly during the 19th century because of its position on important trade and transportation routes, especially along the Missouri River and later the expanding railroad network. Kansas City became well known for its stockyards, meatpacking industry, and jazz culture during the early 20th century, helping shape its identity as both a commercial and cultural centre.
Today, Kansas City has a diverse economy based on finance, healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, and technology. Major companies and organisations in the area include Hallmark Cards, H&R Block, and Cerner. The city’s central location in the United States makes it an important transportation and distribution hub. Although Kansas City is primarily associated with Missouri, the wider metropolitan area extends into Kansas, linking the two states closely through business, employment, and shared infrastructure.
Although it shares its name with the state of Kansas, Kansas City was founded first and developed mainly on the Missouri side of the border, which is why the larger and more well-known part of the city is in Missouri rather than Kansas.
The metropolitan area has around 2.4 million residents and a huge sporting culture.
The city is home to:
- Kansas City Chiefs (NFL)
- Kansas City Royals (MLB)
- Sporting Kansas City (MLS)
Arrowhead Stadium, part of the Truman Sports Complex, is widely regarded as one of the loudest stadiums in world sport thanks to Chiefs supporters, who in recent times have had a lot to shout about.
Kansas City has also become one of the biggest football cities in America over the last decade. Sporting KC built one of MLS’s strongest fan cultures, while the city will also host the FIFA World Cup museum and significant supporter activity throughout the tournament.
One major positive here is that people are generally friendly, prices are more reasonable than many larger host cities, and the city itself.
© Alamy
Getting there
Kansas City sits roughly in the middle of the United States and is well connected domestically, although fewer direct international options exist compared to larger host cities.
The main local transport operator is RideKC.
Getting around
Kansas City is easier to navigate than many US host cities, although having some form of transport remains important.
The KC Streetcar covers a two-mile stretch across downtown and is free, it is particularly useful around:
Downtown
River Market
Crossroads Arts District
Union Station
Country Club Plaza
Operating hours:
Monday–Thursday: 5am – midnight
Friday & Saturday: 5am – 1am
Sunday: 5am – midnight
It’s one of the better free transport systems in the United States and will likely become heavily used during the World Cup.
Downtown itself is reasonably walkable, particularly around:
Power & Light District
Crossroads
River Market
The RideKC buses are available around the city’s metropolitan area, with each journey costing $2, daily and weekly passes will also be available. The buses run daily from 5am till midnight.
Uber and Lyft are widely available and usually cheaper than in larger US cities, although post-match pricing near the stadium will still become aggressive.
E-scooters are common downtown and useful for shorter journeys, though June/July heat plus Midwestern humidity can make this mode of travel eventful.
The main transport systems are:
- RideKC buses
- KC Streetcar
- Uber/Lyft
© Alamy
The stadium
Kansas City’s World Cup matches will take place at Arrowhead Stadium, officially referred to by FIFA as “Kansas City Stadium” during the tournament.
The stadium is home to the Kansas City Chiefs and forms part of the Truman Sports Complex alongside Kauffman Stadium. Arrowhead is legendary in American sport because of its atmosphere and crowd noise.
The World Cup capacity is expected to be around 76,000.
The stadium itself is older than some newer NFL venues but remains hugely respected, construction started in 1968 and it opened in 1972, although it underwent huge renovation in 2010.
One thing to note: summer heat inside the stadium can become intense, particularly during afternoon kick-off, it is open-air, so naturally there are both hot and wet weather warnings attached to this one.
Getting to the stadium
Arrowhead Stadium sits several miles east of downtown Kansas City.
The ConnectKC26 shuttle buses will be running for this one from the following locations:
FIFA Fan Festival – National WWI Museum and Memorial
Graceway Church
Independence Centre
Oak Park Mall
North Kansas City
The cost is $15 return. More information here.
Traffic around the Truman Sports Complex can become extremely heavy before and after major events.
You are required to book parking through FIFA at the stadium, prices start from $175 for our potential game here in the R32.
Inside the stadium, food portions remain extremely American in scale and prices will naturally remind you that FIFA is a not-for-profit organisation and all of the money is fed back into the game.
Eating and drinking
Kansas City takes barbecue incredibly seriously. Your disposable BBQ or the one you get out of your shed once a year is not going to come even remotely close to what you will experience here.
This is not simply “quite good grilled meat.” This is a city where locals will passionately argue over smoked brisket rankings with the emotional intensity of VAR debates.
Areas worth exploring include:
Power & Light District – busiest downtown nightlife area
Crossroads Arts District – breweries, bars and food spots
Westport – popular nightlife and live music area
River Market – markets, cafés and more relaxed atmosphere
Sports bars are everywhere and football culture here is stronger than many overseas supporters probably realise.
Food worth trying:
Burnt ends
Kansas City ribs
Chicken wings
Mac and cheese
Local barbecue platters
Craft beer
One warning: portions are enormous. Ordering “a quick snack” in Kansas City can occasionally result in enough food to support a small tournament qualifying campaign.
Tipping remains standard throughout the United States at around 20%.
The city is particularly famous for:
- Burnt ends
- Smoked ribs
- Pulled pork
- Barbecue sauce
- Craft beer
Things to see and doThings to see and do
The National WWI Museum and Memorial is one of the city’s standout attractions and offers excellent views across the skyline, this is also the location of the Fan Festival.
Union Station is also worth visiting and regularly hosts exhibitions and events.
The Power & Light District will likely become one of the main supporter gathering areas during the World Cup, packed with bars, giant screens and nightlife.
Kansas City is also known for live jazz music, particularly around historic venues and bars downtown.
Football supporters will quickly notice that local enthusiasm for the sport is very real here. Sporting KC supporters helped build one of the strongest football cultures in the United States long before Messi arrived in Miami.
Other worthwhile spots include:
- Country Club Plaza
- Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
- Crossroads Arts District
- Kauffman Stadium
- Sporting Kansas City venues nearby
FIFA Fan Zone
Kansas City’s FIFA Fan Festival will centre around the National WWI Memorial. General admission is free, but there are upgrade packages you can purchase from $55 to $225.
It will be open from June 11th until July 11th. We must say, as far as Fan Festivals go, this one looks pretty spectacular. We appreciate it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but location-wise and everything they have set up within looks very good.
You can reserve your spaces there now.
British consular
assistance
Kansas City does not have a British Consulate-General, with it’s nearest being Chicago that covers this area. The FCDO will still have staff on the ground and we will be in constant contact with them should you need any help.
Accommodation
Kansas City accommodation is generally cheaper than many larger host cities, although prices will naturally increase around knockout rounds and US matches.
Downtown will likely offer the best balance between nightlife, transport and supporter atmosphere.
One major advantage here is that hotel value is generally better than cities such as New York, Miami or Los Angeles.
If staying outside the centre, check transport carefully because public transport becomes more limited further out.
Overall, Kansas City should surprise a lot of travelling supporters in a positive way. Strong football culture, good food, manageable size and friendlier prices make it one of the more underrated stops at this World Cup.
Just remember:
arrive hungry, prepare for humidity, and never underestimate how seriously Kansas City people take barbecue.
Areas worth considering include:
- Downtown
- Crossroads
- Power & Light District
- Country Club Plaza
