KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
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The city of Lawrence, Kansas, is not an amateur when it comes to hosting sporting events, but with the possibility of it being a base camp for a 2026 World Cup team and the ripple effects of Kansas City hosting matches for the World Cup, it's really beginning to beef up its preparations.
The city of Lawrence, Douglas County, the University of Kansas (KU), eXplore Lawrence and other community organizations established the Unified Command to centralize preparations for the 2026 World Cup.
Home to the University of Kansas' powerhouse men's basketball team and evolving football program, Lawrence benefits from weekends filled with sports and visitors. But, the 2026 World Cup's impact will be unprecedented.
"Not just for a weekend, it's for a period of time for five to six weeks," said Steve Kelly, vice president of economic development of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce.
Lawrence won't know whether it's a base camp for a World Cup team until December, according to Kelly.
"We're kind of preparing with a lot of different contingencies in mind," Kelly said.
There's only a few things for certain, one being the fact that Lawrence will see impacts.
"This is an event — or series of events, a period — that's going to impact the entire region," Kelly said. "It's not just Arrowhead."
Whether the city hosts a team or not, Lawrence and Douglas County are expecting thousands of visitors in the summer of 2026.
Jill Jolicoeur, Douglas County's assistant county administrator, is focused on getting funds for necessities like traffic control and public safety.
"If we are not able to come up with additional resources from our state partners, or other partners, we're going to have to look at our local partners and taxpayers to help with that," she said.
Another certainty, is there will be an impact on the local economy.
“You’re basically going to have to surge the workforce for that period of time," Kelly said. "There will be some people who probably have full-time jobs related to this during that period.”
Kelly says this is the perfect opportunity to show international visitors what the Heartland is about. The Unified Command is expecting the influx of visitors for the 2026 World Cup to spill over into communities and hotels throughout Douglas County.
"It's also a great opportunity for us to show the best of Kansas City and the best of Lawrence and the best of the region, and really puts ourselves in people's minds for future opportunities," Kelly said.
The Unified Command says it's currently preparing as if Lawrence will host a team.
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