By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
Kansas City is set to host the World Cup in 2026, and Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph is hoping to play a role in that.
The University hopes to be a host and practice site for a country's team. Missouri Western athletic director Andy Carter says being the home of Chiefs training camp bolsters the University's resume.
"(Kansas City) knows we know how to host," Carter told KFEQ Radio. "With the work we do with the Chiefs. Now, we're kind of in a waiting game. When the countries get put on their sites, then they'll make options to those countries. Then, as I understand it, it'll be a negotiation between us and that country."
FIFA did a site visit to Missouri Western last year. Kansas City is one of 11 U.S. cities selected to host the World Cup in 2026.
Carter says potentially hosting an international team will create more work, but also more excitement.
"There's some facility work we'll have to do on the back fields to get that up to speed, but I think that's doable," he said. "At least, they thought it was doable when they agreed to do it. Yeah, it's exciting. It'll make for a very busy summer that summer, because we'll presumably have the Chiefs (training camp) as well."
Carter says the prospect of hosting a World Cup teams speaks well to the quality of facilities and people the University has.
"It's not a big secret that we're blessed to have great facilities and we have high quality people who know how to operate events," he said. "So that not only does the participant get what they need, but then the fan interaction is good and it makes for a good experience. We're excited and looking forward to that opportunity."
The World Cup is the most viewed sporting event in the world, with last year's final drawing 1.5 billion viewers worldwide. There were around five billion total viewers over the course of the month-long World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
The 2026 World Cup could generate up to $695 million of economic activity in the state of Missouri.
Full Andy Carter interview
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