Kansas City, the smallest host city in the 2026 World Cup, has embraced FIFA fever with enthusiasm. Videos of Argentinian supporters (and locals) staging a pre-match banderazo—a raucous gathering of fans singing and waving flags—have flooded social media, and by June 16, just five days after the start of the tournament, more than 63,000 people had already visited the city’s fan festival zone. When the orange-clad Dutch supporters arrive in town for the Netherlands’ final group match on Friday, June 26, the volume is only going to get louder.
But KC is no stranger to serious sporting spirit: Arrowhead Stadium—temporarily rebranded as Kansas City Stadium for the six World Cup matches happening in the city—holds the Guinness World Record for the loudest crowd roar ever recorded, a cheer during a 2014 Kansas City Chiefs game that reached more than 142 decibels, the equivalent of a jet engine heard from 100 feet away,
The city’s official fan festival at the National World War I Museum runs until July 11.
Courtesy of Visit KC
And as fans are finding out, KC’s appeal extends far beyond its pitchside passion. Straddling the Kansas-Missouri state line in the heart of the Midwest, it may be known for its barbecue, drenched in a sweet, tangy, molasses-based sauce, but like many places in the heartland, KC is criminally underrated “flyover country.” I’ve lived here since 2021 and have been visiting ever since my parents could strap me into a car seat, and I’d argue soccer fans will find the most authentic and welcoming experience of any of the host cities here—and much more besides.
Where to watch the World Cup
The official fan festival is outside the National World War I Museum downtown, but another good watch party option is Current Landing, the developing riverfront district in front of CPKC Stadium. Home of the local National Women’s Soccer League team, Kansas City Current, this is the first stadium in the world purpose-built for a women’s professional sports team. The surrounding district is hosting full-day festival experiences for every match, with live broadcasts, themed food and drink, and family activities.
Related: A Last-Minute World Cup Trip Is More Doable Than You Think—Here’s Why
Best things to do in the city beyond game time
Varsity Club in the city’s River Market district is streaming all World Cup matches.
Courtesy of Visit KC
Kansas City’s big-hitters include the WW1 museum, the country’s congressionally designated museum dedicated to the Great War, and the free-to-visit Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, home to 40,000 works spanning 5,000 years of world history. Both institutions are running temporary soccer-focused exhibitions this summer. At the Nelson-Atkins, the free Personal Best showcases artworks created by artists who are also athletes.
To get under the skin of the city, sign up for a walk with Urban Hikes KC, which dives into local neighborhoods on foot—a rarity in the car-centric Midwest. The company is running daily walks throughout the World Cup, including around River Market, an area near the Missouri River that Urban Hikes KC founder Lisa Peña describes as revealing “the different layers of Kansas City.” While you’re there, watch a game at Varsity Club, which is streaming all World Cup matches and has KC’s best smash burgers. Or head to the Blue Line, one of 23 bars around the city allowed to stay open for 23 hours a day during the tournament.
Where to eat and drink: barbecue and beyond
Baba’s Pantry was started by the Kamal family in 2021 and has won numerous national restaurant awards.
Courtesy of Visit KC
The U.S. has four major styles of barbecue, and Kansas City’s is one of them. The essential joints to visit are Joe’s KC, with its original location in a gas station on the state line; Arthur Bryant’s, which, as one of the city’s oldest barbecue restaurants, tracing its origins to a stand founded in 1908; Gates BBQ, whose staff have been shouting “Hi! May I help you?” at customers since 1946; and Jack Stack. At any of them, order the KC-invented burnt ends.
Beyond barbecue, you should try Baba’s Pantry, a Palestinian-American café that gained national acclaim when it opened in 2021—order the signature falafel sandwich, packed with sumac-coated onions and parsley. Alternatively, the 2026 James Beard nominee Anjin is an intimate, 20-seat Japanese-inspired izakaya in the Crossroads district.
Kirsten Ross, president of the KC Current’s official supporters group KC Blue Crew, recommends Pitchside Coffee, a café in the Crossroads district founded by six KC Current players, for a pre-match caffeine fix, and Friction Beer Co, a brewery in the Kansas-side suburb of Shawnee, for evening drinks.
Where to stay in Kansas City
Elegant and historic, the Truitt has two sitting rooms guests can use.
Courtesy of Visit KC
Choose accommodations near downtown Kansas City or on the KC Streetcar line, as hotel options near Arrowhead Stadium are limited and shuttles are running from several stops around town. The 131-room Crossroads Hotel has industrial-styled rooms with exposed brickwork and a rooftop bar, Percheron.
Hotel Kansas City, set inside a former 1920s social club, offers Gothic revival grandeur and one of the city’s best restaurants, The Town Company. For a more neighborhood feel, the Truitt is an eight-room boutique property in a 1916 mansion close to the Nelson-Atkins. Its stylish sister property the Aida, is only a block away.
