KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An announcement by local leaders of the formation of a nonprofit to oversee planning for the 2026 World Cup is spurring excitement among local soccer fans.
“It’s very exciting," Kenny Yarnevich said. "We’re very happy being a Croatian, we have our own soccer team over there and this is really a dream come true for us.”
Yarnevich is manager of the St. John's Catholic Club in the Strawberry Hill neighborhood in Kansas City, Kansas.
Soccer and the club's Croatian roots are important at the club.
Yarnevich hopes to see Croatia play in Kansas City for the 2026 World Cup.
“This is one of the only Croatian parishes left in the country, so this would be a great thing for us," he said. "We’d enjoy that."
Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas said the international soccer tournament brings numerous benefits to the area.
“It means hundreds of millions of dollars for Kansas City and the region," Lucas said. "It means that we will have tens of thousands of people coming to Kansas City and more than anything, it means it’s time for us to get to work."
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