World Cup demand sparks lodging scramble in Kansas City

Kansas City, MO – Kansas City is preparing for a surge of visitors arsenic it gets acceptable to big World Cup matches this summer, with edifice availability and short-term rentals already tightening months earlier the archetypal crippled kicks off.

Tourism officials estimation hundreds of thousands of visitors could walk done the metro during the tournament, portion the metropolis has astir 36,000 edifice rooms. Some of those rooms are nether declaration with FIFA and unavailable to the wide public, adding unit to an already competitory lodging market.

Short-term rental properties are booking up successful the Kansas City country up of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Olivianna Calmes)

President and CEO for Visit Kansas City and the Kansas City Sports Commission, Kathy Nelson, says the metropolis has been preparing for this infinitesimal for years and is intimately monitoring edifice capableness arsenic bookings accelerate.

"The energy, the excitement, the anticipation is unbelievable," Nelson said. "Everyone’s astir to amusement up connected our doorstep."

A representation highlights cities selected to big matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Olivianna Calmes)

Nelson says Kansas City is 1 of the smallest big cities successful the World Cup lineup, alongside large destinations similar New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, but officials are assured visitors volition dispersed retired crossed the portion to find places to stay.

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New edifice improvement is besides racing the clock. A 45-room boutique edifice called River Market Hotel is acceptable to unfastened this spring, conscionable weeks earlier matches begin. The hotel’s managing member, Mike Heitman, says the timing adds unit but besides opportunity.

Hotel operation continues successful Kansas City’s River Market country arsenic the portion prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Olivianna Calmes)

"It’s breathtaking and scary astatine the aforesaid time," Heitman said. "There’s a bully accidental we volition person been unfastened by conscionable a week oregon two."