Kansas City Fan Festival Faces Funding Hurdles

Kansas City unveiled a Populous-designed 25,000-capacity FIFA Fan Festival at the National WWI Museum with a 65-foot heart-shaped entrance, large video boards, Black & Veatch as title sponsor and free general admission (premium/VIP paid). Arrowhead Stadium is slated to host four group matches and two knockout games during the 2026 World Cup. Preparation has progressed in some areas — the KC Streetcar Main Street extension has opened with free rides, the Rock Island Bridge and riverfront redevelopment tied to the KC Current are advancing, and KCI’s main terminal was renamed for Harry Truman — and new restaurants, entertainment venues and housing projects are underway. But officials warn significant infrastructure and funding gaps remain, including a stalled South Loop park over I‑670, unresolved airport-transit plans that may require leasing hundreds of buses, and tens of millions in private funding still needed despite proposals such as Gov. Mike Kehoe’s $40.5 million request. Those outstanding capital and operational issues leave questions about whether Kansas City can deliver all promised improvements before the World Cup.