Morning Kickoff: The World Cup’s Impact on Southwest Missouri
Soccer’s biggest event is coming to the Midwest next summer!
Visit Joplin and the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce are co-hosting a Morning Kickoff: The World Cup’s Impact on Southwest Missouri presentation with Jim Rowland of the Missouri Division of Tourism.
The Morning Kickoff will be held at the Joplin Holiday Inn Tuesday morning, with coffee and pastries served at 8:30 a.m., followed by a 45-minute presentation starting at 9:00 a.m.
Patrick Tuttle, Director of The Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau says he hopes The World Cup will stimulate the local economy: “We’ve been working with the organizers of the World cup for a couple years now, anticipating it to have a major impact with the international travelers and their interest on Route 66 Centennial, which are happening simultaneously. So we know a lot of the internationals that are coming to town are already Route 66 enthusiasts.
“We know that there’s games in both Dallas and Kansas City for the same region, and there’s typically three days in between matches. So these people will have some time on their hand to get out and explore the Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri region in between matches. And if they’re going to do so, we’ve been working closely with our colleagues in Tulsa and Oklahoma City and try to encourage them to take a Route 66 experience while they’re traversing between Dallas or Kansas City.”
Tuttle says of Jim Rowland’s presentation tomorrow:
“Jim will be talking about some of those impacts on what we should expect down here in Southwest Missouri. Even the lodging up in the Kansas City market, once they announce all the teams on December 6, will be pretty well booked up. So we’re anticipating some folks staying far away.”
Tuttle on Trump:
“I know the president addressed the World Cup, so there are some things coming out of there that they talked about with visas and things, and we’re not anticipating any issues down in our part of the country, but it’s worth keeping track of that. During those time frames, you may want to avoid Kansas City because it’s going to be insanely crowded.” Good point!
Here are some basics:
Kansas City is one of 16 North American cities hosting soccer matches between June 11 and July 19. Six matches will be played at Arrowhead Stadium between June 16 and July 11. The grounds of the World War I Museum will be converted to host an extensive fan village.
Rowland will highlight the multi-year planning efforts that have been completed, some of which are still in development, and a few challenges yet to be fulfilled.
He will also detail the broader economic impact of the games and how guests from around the globe could benefit communities outside Kansas City, including those that could impact southwest Missouri, and our connection in relation to the Route 66 Centennial.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is full of firsts before the games even start. For the first time, three nations will host, 48 teams will participate, and 104 matches will be played. It will truly be an epic event, putting Kansas City and the region on the world stage.
Here is some background to The World Cup:
The FIFA World Cup is the most prestigious Association Football (soccer) tournament and the most widely viewed and followed single sporting event globally.
The viewership of the 2018 World Cup was estimated to be 3.57 billion, representing nearly half of the world’s population, while the engagement with the 2022 World Cup was estimated to be 5 billion, with approximately 1.5 billion people watching the final match.
In 2026, soccer’s grandest stage, the FIFA World Cup, will be played on the largest footprint in the game’s history. The games began in 1930 and have been held consecutively every four years since, except during the period of World War I.
GOAL! GOAL! GOAL MISSOURI!!!