World Cup 2026 countdown begins as logos go up around Kansas City

The countdown to the 2026 World Cup in Kansas City is officially underway as the new logo is revealed. Kansas City will have brand activations at a number of local landmarks:

• Union Station — branded banners
• Mill Creek Park — branding painting on lawn
• The National WWI Museum and Memorial, north lawn — branding painting on lawn
• KC streetcar — new branded wrap
• KC cityscape — lighting in branded colors
• Branded digital displays across the metro

Kansas City will have six different logos in the branding effort, including one that says, “We are Kansas City,” featuring a design reminiscent of a fountain.

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“The World Cup will bring jobs to our residents, generate hundreds of millions of dollars for our region and will illustrate on a global stage what we’ve known for some time: Kansas City is the soccer capital of America,” Mayor Quinton Lucas said. “I can’t wait to welcome the world to Kansas City.”

The FIFA World Cup is the largest and most prestigious single-sport event in the world and is followed by billions of fans all over the world. Since its inaugural tournament in 1930, the FIFA World Cup has been held 21 times. Occurring every four years, the 2026 World Cup will be the 23rd tournament and will return to the United States for the first time since 1994. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held in 16 cities in the United State, Canada and Mexico and will be the first-ever tournament with 48 teams fighting for the title of world champion

In 2017, forty-one cities submitted bids to host matches, with the selection committee ultimately trimming the list down to 23 finalists for the official bid to FIFA. The finalists included 17 cities in the United States (later trimmed to 16 when Baltimore and Washington D.C. merged bids), and three each in the United States and Canada. The official 2026 World Cup host cities were announced to a global audience on June 16, 2022

Last month, the NFL Draft was held in Kansas City. The NCAA wrestling and volleyball championships also will be held in the city before the World Cup.

–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice