Eight years ago, it was announced that the United States, Canada, and Mexico would be the home of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Kansas City would host six matches and serve as the home to training bases for four teams, one of which would be based in Lawrence.
The Algerian National Team announced on Feb. 19, 2026, that Rock Chalk Park would serve as their base and training facility for the duration of the World Cup. The Deputy Athletics Director for External Affairs and Revenue Generation at the University of Kansas, Jason Booker, who helped work with FIFA to book the Algerian team in Kansas, said that, while Lawrence is a college town accustomed to hosting sporting events, the scale of this event coming to the Kansas City area is significant.
“We’ve tried to explain that [it’s like] we’re hosting six Super Bowls. I think people who aren’t soccer fans don’t really understand what’s coming, but when you put it in terms of Super Bowls, it starts to resonate with people,” Booker said.
Sophomore Diego Salazar said that hosting World Cup matches is exciting and a good opportunity for Americans to look beyond and connect with others over a shared love of the worldwide sport.
“I think it’ll be very exciting this year to have a World Cup close to us, so more people can see the games and just experience one of the greatest sports there is. Football is just a U.S. sport, but soccer is a world sport,” Salazar said.
Kansas City is considered a good city to base in because of its central location, which allows teams to travel to their matches across the United States with more ease. Due to this, the Kansas City area is one of only two cities to host four total base camps: Argentina, England, the Netherlands and Algeria.
According to KCTV, the tournament is expected to bring 650,000 visitors and generate around $653 million in direct economic impact. Sophomore Henry Roberts said that this event will help expose travelers to the Kansas City area, which can improve the local economy.
“Teams might see that Lawrence and Kansas City have a good soccer community, and we might get further facilities for future tournaments. So it helps with development and our infrastructure,” Roberts said.
In addition to larger development, Booker said that preparations have been ongoing through a 50-person committee that meets biweekly to prepare Lawrence for smaller-scale encounters with incoming visitors.
“They are a 90% Muslim nation, and so they only eat blessed meat, halal meat. We’ve had to make connections in the area for butchers who can provide those services,” Booker said. “There are a few of those cultural things that you have to work through, but overall, it’s been a really good experience.”
Booker said that introducing the team to Lawrence’s facilities and taking them to dinner was valuable for their interpersonal relations in the midst of language and cultural barriers.
“Getting to know new people and kind of opening your eyes and doors to new cultures has been a really good learning experience,” Booker said. “Sometimes we can sort of live in our Lawrence bubble, and so to have a whole new culture come, I think it’s going to really open up our eyes.”
Salazar said those interactions and community bonding would be one of the most valuable lasting effects from the World Cup.
“It just brings more fans to our community and a broader range of people from different parts of the world. And bringing different countries and cultures together also brings our communities together,” Salazar said.
With Kansas City hosting six matches between various countries, Roberts said the national pride for so many teams and cultures will create connections and lasting relationships over a shared love of the game.
“It’s the World Cup. It’s all about bringing communities together, because you all rally around one national team in one nation, and you’re all rooting for the same thing. It’s just a great event.” Roberts said.
