Meet the connected coalition orchestrating Kansas City’s biggest sports spectacle ever

A group of quiet power players known as KC2026 have been working behind the scenes to make the World Cup happen since 2023.

Some of you might have come across members of the KC2026 team, the official nonprofit organization responsible for delivering the entire host-city experience, as they plan, construct and implement all aspects of the metro’s largest sports and fan experience in its history. Simply put, KC2026 functions as the operational delivery organization for the World Cup, with the city as a partner and funder.

The KC2026 board of directors has been leading fundraising efforts and engaging with various stakeholders, including government entities, community organizations, sponsors and volunteers.

Its roster reads like a who’s who of Kansas Citians. To name just a few: Mayra Aguirre, president of the Hall Family Foundation; Angie Long, the co-owner of the Kansas City Current; Jake Reid, president and CEO of Sporting KC; Joe Reardon, the president and CEO of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce; John Rizzo, executive director of the Jackson County Sports Complex.

One of the many notable KC2026 rockstars is Kathy Nelson, president and CEO of Visit KC and the Greater Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation. Nelson brought the 2023 NFL Draft to the city and is a 2020 inductee to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

The organization represents an all-hands-on-deck moment for the city and is promising smooth and transparent player and fan functions throughout the tournament.

“When we learned that we got to host the World Cup in Kansas City, we knew that we really needed to do this as a region,” says Lindsey Douglas, COO of KC2026.  “We knew that the tournament was going to be a catalyst for our community.”

Douglas says the board set out three primary driving factors: Deliver Kansas City magic, rise on the world stage, and have a lasting legacy for the community. “We do want to do everything through that vision and do everything as a region, so that everybody’s benefiting and we’re showcasing everything that our community has to offer,” she says.

During the matches, Douglas will be working in a joint operations center overseeing much of operations, from transportation to safety and security to communications. “I think there will be some critical operations obviously occurring at the stadium that I’m likely to be involved in on some of the match days, but then also at Fan Fest, the pedestrian movements and the operation around Fan Fest,” Douglas says. “Just keeping an eye on things to make sure that we have that fluidity and that people are having the experience that we intend. I’ll probably be bouncing around quite a bit during the tournament, checking on those different locations.”

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