KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Visit KC, the destination marketing organization for Kansas City, Missouri, is proud to announce an estimated 680,000 unique visitors* traveled to the region during FIFA World Cup 26™, exceeding original projection by approximately 5%. Of those visitors, roughly 83% were domestic travelers and 17% were international tourists.

“From streets flooded with orange for the Netherlands and local landmarks transforming into gathering places for Argentina, to the love story that unfolded between Algeria and the city of Lawrence, serving as a FIFA World Cup 26™ host city was a defining moment for Kansas City,” said Kathy Nelson, President and CEO of Visit KC and the Kansas City Sports Commission. “While the world watched Kansas City become the heart of the tournament, thousands of visitors got to experience first-hand the passion, hospitality, and heart that defines our community. Thank you to everyone who showed up and shared in this historic moment in KC history.”

“Kansas City showed the world the best of America and shared with everyone how special our city, our cuisine, and our cultures are.  Kansas City beat visitor projections, set passenger records at the airport, packed the Kansas City Streetcar, and put more than half a billion dollars into the pockets of local businesses and working families all around the region. Kansas City is where the world wanted to be in 2026. We look forward to ensuring investors, tourists, and major global events continue to select Kansas City for years to come,” said Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas.

FIFA World Cup 26™ activity across the Kansas City area, including nine counties (Cass, Clay, Douglas, Jackson, Johnson, Leavenworth, Platte, Miami, and Wyandotte), generated approximately $570 million in direct spending**.

Kansas City hotels posted record rate growth during the tournament. From June 14 to July 11, metro hotels saw average daily rate (ADR) rise 40.6% year over year and revenue per available room (RevPAR) climb 30.8%, generating more than $119 million in room revenue, according to CoStar. Kansas City ranked first among the 11 U.S. host cities for ADR growth during match periods, and downtown hotels set all-time single-night records for ADR, RevPAR and room revenue on Saturday, July 11, the night of the Argentina vs. Switzerland quarterfinal.

World Cup also drove significant growth in the metro’s short-term rental (STR) market with active listings up more than 50% from summer 2025. In June and July 2026, STR room nights booked increased 16.5% YOY with room revenue growing 76.7% YOY to $15.6 million, according to data from AirDNA. On match nights, Kansas City’s average booked rate of $321.86 ranked second among 22 host city markets.

“The impressive economic impact numbers generated by the World Cup in Kansas City, Missouri, only tell part of the story of the event’s impact,” said Stephen Foutes, Director of the Missouri Division of Tourism. “There was immense public relations value generated by positive media and social media coverage of Missouri. Additionally, the state showed its capacity for hosting major events, which will no doubt lead to more opportunities to win impactful business in the future.”

“The World Cup created an extraordinary opportunity for Kansas to welcome visitors from around the world and showcase what makes our state special,” said Bridgette Jobe, Director of Kansas Tourism. “Beyond the immediate economic impact, this event introduced new audiences to our communities, our attractions, and our Kansas hospitality. The global exposure and connections made will continue to create opportunities for tourism and economic growth across our state long after the final match.”

While the final direct impact was lower than originally projected ($653 million), the organization attributes this to less spend per visitor. The original estimate anticipated more international visitors coming to KC, who on average spend more during their holidays. However, as the tournament drew closer, Visit KC highlighted the destination would likely draw a larger number of domestic and regional visitors based on changing travel trends.

Consistent with initial projections, the final visitor numbers and economic impact were tracked across the full tournament window of June 11 – July 19, 2026. To develop, track and finalize this data, Visit KC uses industry-standard methodology and a variety of resources including Placer.ai, CoStar, AirDNA, Azira, and Symphony, as well as KC2026’s attendance figures, Fan Festival and KC Connect origin data and destination group booking data.

Kansas City set several impressive tourism and economic records throughout the tournament including:

  • Kansas City led U.S. host cities in domestic visitor growth and match-day visitor lift, with matches drawing 15% more domestic visitors than comparable non-match days.
  • Kansas City International Airport (MCI) had its busiest outbound passenger day on record with 24,266 travelers screened on Sunday, July 12, following the Argentina vs. Switzerland match on Saturday, July 11.
  • The KC Streetcar, the city’s free mode of public transportation, set a new all-time daily ridership record with 55,973 passengers on Saturday, July 11, along with completing 838,826 passenger trips between June 11 – July 11.
  • Kansas City led US host cities in year-over-year card spending growth, recording an overall 7-8% increase in local in-person consumer spending during the tournament, according to Bank of America.
  • KC2026 reported 413,169 fans at six matches and more than 400,000 Fan Festival attendees, with visitors from nearly 180 countries.

*Unique visitors are counted per trip by non-local individuals, meaning one visitor coming from outside the area and staying for multiple days, still only counts as one unique visitor.

**Direct spending is based on the Destinations International definition, which is the initial spending in the Kansas City region by visitors and event organizers. It includes visitor spending on items like lodging, dining, local transportation, retail and entertainment, as well as organizer spending on venue preparation. It does not include the operating costs of staging the event, match ticket sales, airfare to and from the region, or indirect and induced economic effects.

About Visit KC  

Attracting millions of visitors to the Kansas City area annually, Visit KC is the internationally accredited chief hospitality sales and marketing organization for the region. With a mission of creating global passion for Kansas City, Visit KC collaborates with nearly 900 community partners to drive the marketing, sales and service of the destination’s convention and tourism industry—a sector that supports more than 125,000 local jobs and generates millions of dollars in community spending and sales tax revenue.

For more information about Kansas City, please visit the official Visit KC website. Travelers planning their next trip to Kansas City can also find inspiration and local insights in the 2026 Visit KC Visitors Guide.