Kansas City is housing the FIFA World Cup, but at whose expense?

  The World Cup has a history of displacing people and communities in the cities where it is hosted, and some are worried about the potential effects it could have in KC.

  As 650,000 visitors are estimated for the World Cup in Kansas City this summer, experts and UMKC professors question whether the city is ready for the world stage.

  It costs around $165 million to host the games, with $42.5 million set aside for stadium improvements alone. However, they do expect a $653 million economic boost from the surge in tourism. 

  Shannon Jackson, UMKC’s sociology and anthropology chair, witnessed the lasting effects of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. She said students were displaced from their dorms to accommodate athletes and officials associated with the World Cup, leaving them homeless for a brief period.

  “Nobody felt this was a favorable, lasting impact,” Jackson said. “The surrounding area had a secondary effect of raising costs and rents all around it. So it’s another form of displacement.”

  Chancellor C. Mauli Agrawal plans to partner with the city, offering on-campus residence hall space to house volunteers, and transportation workers, and first responders for the KC2026 Fan Fest.

  Jackson said that on-campus students will most likely face minimal effects with UMKC being a commuter school. She added that residents may see costs increasing around the event.

  Heidi Updike, UMKC administrative assistant of social work, argued that international students could be affected, as they tend to stay on campus during the summer.

  Spokesperson Stacy Downs said UMKC would make housing available for students “who want it.”

  Michael Frisch, an associate professor of urban planning and design, said that “it’s mostly too late” to plan against displacement. While Frisch said the games are an “amazing opportunity to showcase our city,” he expressed concern that residents whose leases expire this spring could be forced to leave.

  Frisch also said that Kansas City lacks the “robust transit system” of previous World Cup host cities.

  City leaders are working to expand transportation efforts. In tandem with RideKC buses and the KC streetcar, they announced plans to deploy 215 motor coaches for efficient tourist travel.

  Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) officials will also reinstate bus fares in June, but the timing has drawn scrutiny from advocates.

  Jacob Antolini, a graduate student in economics and Sunrise Movement KC leader, speculated that KCATA is reintroducing bus fares to displace the unhoused population in KC.

  “They don’t want to have tourists visit the city and see who is using the buses,” said Antolini. “Even though they very much are part of our community.”

  The FIFA World Cup 2026 will be from June 11 to July 19.

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