County and city representatives begin planning for World Cup tourism
By Chris Fortune
It’s never too early to plan for how the city could capitalize on the largest sporting event in the world.
The St. Joseph Community Alliance, consisting of the Chamber of Commerce, the City of St. Joseph, Buchanan County and other partners, discussed the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Convention and Visitors Bureau in late July.
Sports Commission Director Brett Esely said Community Alliance members have discussed what the World Cup coming to Kansas City could mean for St. Joseph.
“There’s a lot of questions that don’t necessarily have answers for right now,” he said. “But what we know is this — the World Cup is a global game.”
The United States, Canada and Mexico are co-hosts for the World Cup, which is taking place across 16 cities. Around 6 million fans are expected to attend the tournament across 104 games.
The 2026 World Cup holds the distinction of being the first tournament to feature 48 teams after expanding from the usual 32 teams. Kansas City will host six matches and a quarterfinal from June 16 to July 11 at Arrowhead Stadium.
“When these countries travel to wherever they are going, they travel in droves, they come, they support their team over the course of the six weeks that they’re playing,” he said.
Esely said ample opportunity is available for St. Joseph to cater to the hotel, restaurant and recreational needs of fans who could spill over from Kansas City.
“The other unique thing is that those people have probably never been here before,” he said. “And we know that a lot of travelers internationally, especially if you’ve never been here before, love that history of the Wild West, (and) we’ve certainly got a lot of that history right here in St. Joseph.”
Cindy Daffron, executive director of the Pony Express National Museum, echoed Esely, saying international travelers like American history, especially the Wild West.
Since January, visitors from 20 countries have visited the Pony Express National Museum.
“It intrigues them,” she said. “And so when they can come here and (learn about) the Pony Express, the trail and all the different things, and then the riders, they’re infatuated.”
The Community Alliance established three subcommittees to tackle logistics such as transportation and tourism. They have met twice, but meetings will continue with less than two years before World Cup festivities begin.
“We’ll start doing that again late summer and early fall because, as it’s been identified in the Kansas City area, every day counts,” Esely said.
