KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The final phase of Kansas City’s bid to host World Cup matches in 2026 is now underway, the Kansas City Sports Commission announced Thursday.
In a release, the commission announced David Ficklin has been named the Executive Director of the city’s bid.
He has previously worked on bid for the World Cup and Olympic games. For the past 11 years, Ficklin has served as the Vice President of Development for Sporting Kansas City.
“The Kansas City metropolitan area has built over $400 million in soccer facilities over the past decade,” Ficklin said in a release. “But even more importantly, we have really been the thought leaders in innovative ways to grow the game of soccer. With that background, we look forward to using the excitement of our bid to continue to implement new and creative ways to bring the sport to thousands of new players and fans of all ages.”
The full Executive Committee hoping to bring matches to Kansas City is made of several high-powered sports figures in the city.
Its members are listed below:
1) Clark Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs Chairman and CEO (Honorary Co-Chair)
2) Cliff Illig, Sporting Kansas City principal owner (Honorary Co-Chair)
3) Doug Bach, Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas County Administrator
4) Lynn Berling-Manuel, United Soccer Coaches CEO
5) Jason Fulvi, VisitKC President and CEO
6) Shane Hackett, Heartland Soccer Association Executive Director
7) Matt Kenny, Kansas City Chiefs Vice President of Stadium Services and Events
8) Donna Maize, Kansas City, Missouri Assistant City Manager
9) Kathy Nelson, Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation President and CEO
10) Joe Reardon, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce President and CEO
11) Jake Reid, Sporting Kansas City President and CEO
Currently, Kansas City is one of 17 cities in the U.S. bidding for five to seven matches. 10 will get to host matches as part of the tournament.
Other cities bidding include Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
If Kansas City is selected, the matches will be played at Arrowhead Stadium.
A final decision on the U.S. host cities will likely be made late next year.
The United States, Canada and Mexico will jointly host the World Cup in 2026.
