Kansas City Council Business Session – World Cup Update and Other Business – January 15, 2026
Kansas City Council Business Session – World Cup Update and Other Business – January 15, 2026
The Kansas City Council held a business session on January 15, 2026, receiving an update from KC2026 CEO Pam Kramer on FIFA World Cup 2026 preparations, discussing a moratorium on non-municipal detention facilities, and considering a jail site purchase from Jackson County. The council also approved minutes from the previous session and moved into closed session.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of minutes: The council voted unanimously to approve the minutes from the previous business session.
Discussion Items
World Cup 2026 Update (KC2026 Presentation)
- Pam Kramer, CEO of KC2026, reported that 146 days remain until the first World Cup match (100 business days). Key developments from the December final draw: Kansas City will host matches including reigning champion Argentina; a potential quarterfinal featuring Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is possible if both teams advance. Match scheduling includes evening matches, hydration breaks, and variable ticket demand. The transportation plan includes 215 leased buses for airport service, four park-and-ride locations, and regional connectivity to 15 additional sites. FanFest will be open at least 18 days, with operating hours to be finalized. Small business engagement: over 2,500 businesses signed up for the interest forum, 11,000 contacted, and 250 completed readiness assessments. Volunteer applications exceeded 16,000, with over 5,000 interviewed. A new activation space called KC House on the Plaza will host global business leaders and site selectors in partnership with KCADC, EDC, and state departments. Legacy pillars focus on long-term economic impact, brand perception, and access to play.
Council Questions and Comments
- Councilman Bunch asked about coordination with EDC and KCADC for business recruitment. Kramer confirmed a partnership, with KCADC providing financial support and inviting site selectors.
- Councilman O'Neill expressed concern about KCADC having first access and questioned the financial breakdown. Kramer noted KCADC is providing financial support.
- Councilwoman Robinson praised Kramer's leadership and asked about council involvement during the games, legacy initiatives, and public infrastructure readiness. Kramer outlined council roles at KC House and FanFest, legacy pillars (economic impact, brand, access to play), and efforts to minimize disruption through self-contained event support and mutual aid for law enforcement.
- Councilman Curls asked about the rotation of small business vendors at FanFest. Kramer described a concept for a "barbecue restaurant of the day," coordination with food trucks and fixed stations, and FIFA restrictions (only McDonald's may serve French fries). The team is consulting with the restaurant association.
- Councilman Bond contrasted the World Cup communication favorably with the previous NFL draft experience, thanking Kramer for transparency and inclusive outreach.
Other Business (Mayor's Remarks)
- The mayor announced two items: a moratorium on zoning approvals for non-municipal detention facilities in Kansas City, and a deadline on Jackson County's offer to sell a jail site for $2.3 million off 40 Highway. The city has also explored a site on Front Street. He indicated direction may be warranted to proceed without delay. The council then moved to closed session.
Key Outcomes
- Unanimous approval of previous meeting minutes.
- Council received the World Cup update with no formal vote; multiple members expressed support and appreciation for the inclusive planning process.
- Motion to enter closed session (pursuant to RSMo 610.021 subsections 1 and 12) passed by roll call vote: all present voted aye.
- No formal action taken on the moratorium or jail site purchase; these items were likely discussed further in closed session.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome to business session, the official Pam Kramer business session. First item, approval of minutes. You come on up, Pam. Approval of minutes for business session from the last time we did it. So we've been moved in second. All in favor indicate by saying aye. All opposed. Motion passes. KC 2026. The most exciting thing in some ways that I get to talk about. And so we have Pam Kramer, the CEO of KC2026. Thanks for coming to us on late notice, and we look forward to an update from you on all the good stuff going on. C right on here. Great. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Council, for having me. Exciting times in Kansas City, to be certain. Today I want to give you an update on what's happened since uh we've last since I've last been here. Let's see if I can navigate the slides. I'm on my own today, so they trusted me. Maybe over this one. Just should I just write around? There we go. There we go. So a hundred and forty-six days to go from today, the first World Cup match will be played. As I reminded my team yesterday, that's 100 business days. So it really is essential. I think the first time I uh came before council, the that number started with a seven. So time is flying, and uh we're making great progress. Uh I won't review these goals because you've seen them. What I want to do today is talk about some of the key developments over the last few months. You will all be receiving, if you haven't already, our momentum report. Um, it highlights some of the milestones over the past year, uh, but the past two months in particular have brought significant developments starting with the final draw. So in December, FIFA conducted the final draw. They drew the 48, uh, 42 of the 48 teams and the six two qualify into groups of four. Um the next day they issued our schedule, and we were thrilled. Kansas City fared very well uh in terms of visibility of teams, quality of matches. We have no um we have no 3-4 matchups in Kansas City. We have the reigning champion Argentina as our first match. We met with the embassies today of the qualified countries that will play here. Uh, you know, they they expect tens, if not 100 plus thousand of their uh citizens to be here for these matches. So really excited about that. The round of 32, we will have the winner of group K. Um in group K currently is Portugal and Colombia. If the winner of group K is Colombia and that winner persists through the round of 16 to the quarterfinal, they will play here. And if Argentina persists through the round of 32 and 16 to the quarterfinal, they will also play here. What that means for those of you who are not soccer fans is that we would have two of the best players ever uh in Ronaldo and Messi at Arrowhead for that quarter final. So a lot of soccer has to happen, and lots of things could go a different way, but that would be um an uh a match of historic uh epic proportions. So we should all be prepared for that. So some key learnings um in addition to our schedule.
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