A look at the possible economic impact of KC being a World Cup host city

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A World Cup match will bring tens of thousands of visitors to Kansas City from all over the world and experts believe it’s going to be a windfall for the local economy.

The match, or matches, would be played at Arrowhead Stadium. Most people know what the lots at Arrowhead are like on gameday with 80,000 fans in the stadium.

However, for the World Cup, you also have thousands more who come to town just for the environment surrounding the game.

“This could be a dynamic element for Kansas City worldwide,” said Tony Tocco. “I hope we take advantage of it.”

Tocco is a business and accounting professor at Rockhurst University. He’s also a big soccer fan.

He said even an event like the Super Bowl pales in comparison to the World Cup. Hosting a piece this event, even a minor match like a play-in, puts KC on a world stage.

Depending on what kind of match we end up with, we could be looking at $100-400 million in revenue from out-of-town visitors. Our hotels will be booked and the bars will be packed.

There will not just be people who want to watch the match at the stadium. Many, many more will simply want to celebrate with their team and country.

“You’re going to see people who want to celebrate something that happens every four years,” Tocco said. “These people are revved up. They love their teams and their country, and that’s what they’re there for. They want to celebrate. They want to have fun and watch great soccer. Period.”

World Cup events in other host cities have created as many as 30,000 jobs during the tournament.

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