KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Construction crews have started building the FIFA Fan Festival site at Kansas City’s National WWI Museum and Memorial as the city prepares to host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Crews began moving equipment onto the memorial grounds Tuesday morning to construct the stage and supporting infrastructure for the 18-day event, which is scheduled to open June 11. The FIFA Fan Festival will serve as the city’s primary public celebration space during the international soccer tournament.
Kansas City is set to host its first World Cup match June 16, featuring defending champion Argentina against Algeria. Organizers expect the fan festival to attract as many as 25,000 visitors during the tournament.
The festival site is being developed on the lawn of the National World War I Museum and Memorial, one of Kansas City’s most prominent landmarks. Architectural renderings released for the project were created by sports and entertainment design firm Populous.
Admission to the FIFA Fan Festival will be free on a first-come, first-served basis, though upgraded passes will also be available for purchase.
Construction activity at the memorial marks one of the most visible signs yet of Kansas City’s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is expected to bring significant tourism, infrastructure activity and economic impact to the region.
The FIFA Fan Festival is designed to function as a large-scale public gathering space where visitors can watch matches, attend concerts and participate in tournament-related activities throughout the competition.
Officials said the WWI Museum and Memorial will remain open during both the construction period and the operation of the fan festival.
The concert schedule for the festival begins June 12 with a performance by Kansas City rapper Tech N9ne, adding entertainment programming to the soccer-focused event lineup.
Kansas City leaders and tourism officials have continued ramping up preparations in recent months as the city moves closer to hosting its first-ever FIFA World Cup matches.
Temporary construction projects tied to major sporting events often generate increased demand for staging, electrical systems, transportation coordination, security infrastructure and temporary venue construction services.
The FIFA Fan Festival project represents a significant short-term construction and event operations effort tied to the broader World Cup buildout occurring across host cities in North America.
Kansas City has been actively positioning itself as a regional hub for World Cup visitors, with local officials projecting substantial economic benefits tied to tourism, hospitality and entertainment spending during the tournament.
The World Cup is expected to bring thousands of international visitors to the metro area, increasing activity for hotels, restaurants, transportation providers and downtown businesses.
Construction at the memorial site will continue over the coming weeks ahead of the June opening date, with crews working to complete staging areas and festival infrastructure before tournament festivities begin.
Kansas City’s involvement in the World Cup is viewed as one of the largest international sporting events ever hosted by the region and a major opportunity to showcase the city on a global stage.
Originally reported by Marcus Officer, Olivia Johnson in Fox 4.
