Kansas City Current: They aspire to host the 2026 World Cup with new facilities

Kansas City Current Invests Millions in Facility Expansion

The Kansas City Current has officially begun the expansion of its facilities, raising its total investment in soccer infrastructure to an estimated figure between $225 and $250 million, according to co-owner Chris Long. This investment, the highest in the NWSL for facilities, includes a new performance center that will benefit both the first team and the reserve team in the long term. In addition, it increases the appeal for teams participating in the 2026 World Cup, who are considering the Current’s facilities as a training base for the tournament.

We have received many countries and federations, and it has been exciting for the team to be exposed to different people and approaches.

Chris Long, co-owner of the Kansas City Current

Long wait to reach an agreement with a federation in the coming months to serve as a training base during the 2026 World Cup. The new performance center, four new grass fields, and a stadium with a capacity for 2,000 spectators will be built next to the Current’s existing facilities. A new nearby hotel, another Long project, will be operational for next summer’s World Cup. The team currently trains on existing fields. The new 2,000-seat stadium will be the home of the reserve team.

Kansas City is one of the four NWSL markets whose facilities could be used by a 2026 World Cup team as a base camp. The Current’s first team, which currently leads the table with an eight-point lead during the NWSL summer break, will use the new performance center during the 2026 World Cup. According to FIFA’s requirements for base camps, the sites will be completely separated by physical boundaries, which will allow the Current to train without interruption.

Recently, the NWSL announced that regular season matches will not be played in June, coinciding with the start of the World Cup in seven of the league’s 16 markets. However, teams will have to continue training during that time, and the NWSL is expected to resume play in July during the World Cup.

The Current plays at CPKC Stadium, with a capacity of 11,500 spectators and a cost of 143 million dollars. The Longs are in the second phase of a 1 billion dollar development in the surrounding area. Long mentioned that the upcoming 2,000-seat stadium in Riverside has already attracted interest from entities unrelated to football, such as flag football and lacrosse. The Longs are reserving part of the land they own in Riverside for a future WNBA training facility.