Kansas City is one of the American hosts of the Fifa World Cup 2026, yet tournament visitors won’t need Premier League salaries to enjoy themselves.
What’s more, with numerous barbecue restaurants and jazz clubs among key local draws, it’s a buzzing destination for social celebrating.
Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium is hosting six World Cup fixtures including a Quarter Final next year. Group stage matches kick off on 16 June and continue over 20 June, 25 June and 27 June. A Round of 32 match will take place at the stadium on 3 July and a World Cup Quarter Final on 11 July.
With the spotlight on Kansas City, it’s the perfect time to suggest a break to this lesser-known authentic and cost-effective destination, straddling the border of Kansas and Missouri, where food, history and sport make a winning combination.
Getting there and around
At the very heart of the US, bi-state Kansas City is 3.5 hours or fewer from the country’s major cities and its coasts, making it a good sell for an interesting twin-centre.
It’s super inexpensive to get around with the free KC Streetcar connecting Downtown Kansas City with other entertainment and shopping districts. An extension to the recreation and wetlands area Berkley Riverfront will open in time for the Fifa World Cup. There will also be enhanced ways to walk and bike around the city, besides park-and-ride schemes.
Sporting action
As the Soccer Capital of America, Kansas City will be extending an especially warm welcome to international fans during the World Cup. The lawns around the landmark National WWI Museum and Memorial will be transformed into a Fifa Fan Festival zone to ensure, match ticket or not, no one misses out on the atmosphere.
Away from the Fifa action, your clients might like to join a supporters’ group at a nearby brewery before catching a football match at the riverfront Kansas City Currents CPKC Stadium, the world’s first stadium built for a women’s pro sports team. Or they could try to score tickets for a major league baseball game at Kauffman Stadium, one of several premier sports venues at Overland Park.
Foodie fun
Kansas City is the self-style Barbecue Capital of the World with more than 100 specialist restaurants. There’s even a KC BBQ Experience app with themed trails and fun ways for your clients to log their culinary adventures. The city recently opened the first Museum of BBQ exploring the history and culture surrounding this culinary style.
Burnt ends and cheese slippers may not sound appetising but they’re among KC’s well-loved street foods. Visitors should also look out for strip steak on steakhouse menus and some excellent fried chicken.
The city also boasts many thriving craft breweries. Your clients can sip through local beers on a KC Tap Tour using a three-day digital pass to earn discounts and prizes. A strong distillery scene means there’s plenty for spirit lovers too, including some innovative cocktail bars.
Culture and nightlife
No visit to KC would be complete without a night in a jazz club listening to a live band or dualling pianos. There are also free performances on certain nights at the interactive American Jazz Museum.
Other museums include Truman’s Presidential Library, the airline-related TWA Museum at 10 Richards Road and the National Frontier Trails Museum, which has personal accounts from pioneers. The interactive Rabbit Hole is a new nostalgia-inducing experience themed around children’s books.
KC’s major galleries are the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, the former famous for the giant shuttlecock sculptures on its lawn. Another city landmark is the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Community Christian Church with its beaming Steeple of Light.
The 15-mile Riverfront Heritage Trail bicycle and pedestrian pathway winds through the most historic parts of Kansas City with public artworks to see on the way.
There are also some fine murals to spot around the city including in the Power and Light District, an eight-block entertainment hub where your clients may also catch free basketball games. Shopping district Country Club Plaza is meanwhile known for its Spanish-inspired architecture.
Suggest the KC Attractions Pass as a budget-friendly way to hit 10 of the city’s museums and visitor experiences. And tell clients to look out for fountains on their wanders; Kansas City claims more than anywhere outside Rome!
