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I count myself extremely lucky to have grown up with women's soccer. In the 2000s, while U.S. leagues — WUSA and WPS — started, built momentum and then died, my dad and I could consistently watch world-class women's soccer just a short drive from home, on the field at the University of Portland.
Pilots games were raucous, the intimate field humming with chants led by kilt-clad male cheerleaders, while players on their way to becoming household names vied for national titles. Megan Rapinoe and her twin sister, Rachel, brought the Pilots through an undefeated 2005 season and a championship win. Canadian phenom Christine Sinclair, who retired a few years ago as the world's leading international goalscorer — men's and women's — redshirted the 2003 season so she could join Canada in the World Cup.
Why am I talking about the women's game in a newsletter about this summer's men's World Cup?
Well, Kansas City is in the running to repeat its hosting gig in 2031 for the women's World Cup. It's another multi-country bid, this time with the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica. Typically, host cities would be nailed down by now, but soccer experts say FIFA is likely waiting to see how this summer goes before it commits to running it back in five years.
The men's World Cup tends to draw more eyes, advertising dollars and interest globally, but here, the U.S. Women's National Team are the heavy hitters. They've been perennial contenders, taking home four World Cup titles and five Olympic gold medals.
And while David Beckham's arrival on American shores to play for the L.A. Galaxy in 2007 was notable because the fledgling Major League Soccer needed him to boost its profile far more than he needed the team, the National Women's Soccer League has been where international superstars — including Brazil's Marta, Australia's Sam Kerr and, yes, Canada's Christine Sinclair — have honed their game since its inaugural season in 2013.
It's impossible to know who will be on Kansas City's women's team, the Current, come 2031, and a lot can change at the national team level, as well. But with Ally Sentnor, Izzy Rodriguez, Michelle Cooper, Croix Bethune and Lo'eau LaBonta donning the U.S. crest regularly, there's a tantalizing chance to see hometown players represent the U.S. at Arrowhead Stadium in 2031, if all goes well.
I'll have more to say about this next week at our event KC for the W: Women game-changers in sports and the media. Join me, won't you?
Kansas City hotel bookings lag behind every other host city
Add this number to the growing list of concerns about World Cup attendance: 90%.
That's how many Kansas City hotels surveyed by the American Hotel and Lodging Association reported that their bookings for this summer were running below projections.
That's actually worse than a normal June or July, meaning that the World Cup may actually be making tourism worse, not better. And it's the highest vacancy rate of any host city in the U.S.
As we've reported here before, there's plenty of reasons that the hyped "World Cup boom" may be a bust: Record high ticket costs and price-gouging by FIFA, coupled with ICE fears and the Trump administration's international travel crackdown.
KCUR reached out to KC2026, the local World Cup committee, for an interview about this, and they directed us to a Friday press conference with KC2026 CEO Pam Kramer in which she said bookings and estimates for the World Cup are on track to meet projections. Kansas City organizers previously stressed that the city's games may end up attracting a lot more short-term regional visitors than other host cities, due to its central location.
That assumption is backed up by the recent news that Amtrak is adding more trips and train cars between St. Louis and Kansas City, to keep up with an increased demand for the World Cup.
Organizers in Lawrence, Kansas, also told KCUR's Up To Date that hotel bookings are starting to tick up, but they are now unclear if their estimates of 15,000 visitors will pan out.
Meanwhile, Mayor Quinton Lucas and other city officials are running interference to try and get ahead of the disappointing narrative that's forming.
"I think 'bust' is a bit early to declare," Lucas wrote in an X thread. "Global chaos, immigration challenges, and rising expenses aren't helpful, no doubt, but I think it succeeds if Kansas Citians realize it's also for them… I'm often a skeptic, but think it'll be additive over most events we've hosted and will unseat the '76 GOP convention as the time 'we were in the spotlight.'"
"There are a lot of things that have happened that were not in our deck of cards for the year," Kansas City Manager Mario Vasquez told KCUR's Up To Date. "I mean, having a war, having a spike in gas prices, having so much uncertainty about travel to the United States. Those are not things that we were thinking about when we put in the bid back in 2018 or 2019."
Read more about the survey of hotels from NPR's Rafael Nam.
Tickets for Kansas City's games are actually getting cheaper
A lack of demand for Kansas City's World Cup games may actually be good news for locals who've been priced out of seeing a game. Ticket prices have fallen for all six matches being played in Kansas City.
Overland Park-based reseller Tickets for Less has been watching the trends. Jason Durbin, senior vice president of operations, says FIFA's lottery system has been confusing and some fans may be rethinking their asking prices after FIFA released exact seat locations in April.
"Some people that got some of the higher rows have decided to go down in their price a little bit," Durbin says. "That's created a lot of fluidity with the market."
According to TicketData.com, a website that tracks prices on sites such as StubHub, Vivid Seats and SeatGeek, resale prices for Kansas City matches have dropped in the past month — several games by $100 or more.
Read more from KCUR's Julie Denesha.
Kansas City health departments are gearing up for World Cup tourists
As they finalize their FIFA World Cup plans a month out from the international soccer tournament, Kansas City health departments are prioritizing preparations for the spread of infectious diseases and intense heat.
While it isn't respiratory illness season in the U.S., many World Cup visitors will travel from countries in the Southern Hemisphere where the flu and other illnesses are active, like Argentina, which has seen a dramatic increase in hantavirus cases in recent weeks.
Jackson County Public Health Deputy Director Ray Dlugolecki said his agency is trying to get ahead of any outbreak by increasing wastewater surveillance, which became a reliable tool to monitor outbreaks during the COVID pandemic.
In addition to the increased surveillance, counties are encouraging residents to set up appointments with their primary care providers to make sure they are in good health, especially if they plan to attend watch parties or games.
See how else you can prepare in this story from KCUR's Noah Taborda.
How Kansas City restaurants are preparing
However many people end up visiting Kansas City this summer, they'll need to eat while they're here. And restaurants are doing a lot to prepare.
The Beacon's Thomas White reports that some restaurants are considering adding automatic gratuity of up to 20% on all checks this summer. Many international visitors will be coming from countries with different or no tipping cultures, and tipped workers could take a pay hit otherwise. Philadelphia restaurants are doing something similar.
Meanwhile, in the Historic Northeast along Independence Avenue, many Hispanic and immigrant-owned businesses worry visitors will pass them by — especially since Kansas City isn't promoting their neighborhood in the same way as other areas.
Kickin' the ball around
- Know your stuff: I really love this World Cup glossary covering all the lingo and slang around international soccer — sorry, football — so you know what's happening on the field — I mean, pitch. (WBUR)
- Art out front: As it awaits out-of-towners, Lawrence, Kansas, is filling some of its vacant storefronts with artist studios and shops, thanks to the nonprofit Open Studios. (KSHB)
- A win for youth soccer: The upcoming tournament has also inspired communities around the country to invest more in soccer infrastructure overall, including the first free street soccer park in San Diego. (KPBS)
- Sister, sister: Kansas City, Kansas, is now officially a sister city to Concepción, Argentina, before that country's national team comes here for a World Cup match. (KSHB)
- Cheaper alternative: Instead of shelling out hundreds for a World Cup game, why not see an international soccer match for less than $100? The Bosnia and Herzegovina national team will play Panama in a friendly match in St. Louis on June 6, just days before the big tournament begins. (St. Louis Public Radio)
- No overnight parks: Kansas City Parks and Recreation made it clear that camping in tents, campers or cars is not allowed in the 221 city parks during the World Cup (or anytime). At least there are still plenty of hotel rooms available? (Fox 4)
- Semi-charmed lineup: Sporting Park will host its own concert series as part of "Soccer Capital Summer," featuring bands like Third Eye Blind, Gym Class Heroes and Coco & Breezy. Tickets are free, but parking is not. (Sporting KC)
- Resale restrictions: FIFA's resale marketplace initially removed tickets for matches at Toronto's BMO Field after the province of Ontario passed legislation banning resold tickets above face value. Those tickets are now available again, but capped in price. (CBC)
- Infantino inhotwater: FIFA's president attempted to defend eye-popping prices for World Cup games by making a wildly inaccurate claim: "You cannot go to watch in the US a college game, not even speaking about a top professional game of a certain level, for less than $300." Meanwhile, a Royals ticket is $25 right now. (The Guardian)
- 'I wouldn't pay it either': The day after Infantino's comments, President Trump reacted with surprise about the four-figure FIFA ticket prices. "I would like to be able to have the people that voted for me to be able to go." (New York Post)
- Rip-off report: How did FIFA's ticketing model get so disconnected from average fans? An interesting inside look at the way this World Cup shifted to a "high-value limited-access mega event," with potentially disastrous long-term effects. (The Independent)
Art exhibits, neighborhood guides and more
KCUR's Adventure email is going all in on guides to help you explore the World Cup in Kansas City.
In this week's Adventure, we featured all the World Cup-related exhibits curated by local art and history museums in our region.
And in the coming weeks, we'll have more to explore in the lead-up to the World Cup, from Argentine cuisine to Dutch culture and more.
Click here to subscribe to KCUR's weekly Adventure email.
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