Kansas City’s World Cup transit plan is taking shape, and it’s a lot more affordable than East Coast host cities.
KC2026, the local organizing committee for the World Cup, has revealed prices for the regional buses, stadium shuttles and airport pickups that it will run for the course of the 32-day event. Local fans and ticket holders will be relieved to see that Kansas City will escape the $100 rates causing outcries in places like New York and Boston.
As part of the ConnectKC26 program, game ticket holders can take a direct shuttle to the Kansas City’s stadium — hopping on from either the FIFA Fan Festival or four park-and-ride locations — for $15 per round-trip ticket.
Anyone around Kansas City can also ride a "region direct" route connecting the festival to more than a dozen hubs across the metro and Lawrence. Those bus lines will cost $5 for an unlimited day pass, $25 for a week and $50 for the whole tournament.
Meanwhile, ConnectKC26 is also running free shuttles between the Kansas City International Airport and their downtown bus hub (at 27th and Main Street) every 15 minutes.
These transit services will run from June 11 to July 13 — beginning on the first match day of the tournament and ending two days after Kansas City's last game.
All of those transportation options will require booking in advance, which will open in early May. You can sign up for updates at the KC2026 website.
Find out more information about the tournament on KCUR's complete World Cup guide, and by signing up for our Soccer City 26 newsletter.
How Kansas City compares to other cities
Kansas City, the only Midwest host city participating in the 2026 World Cup, has been living up to its reputation for affordability — relatively speaking, of course.
New Jersey's NJ Transit sparked significant backlash when it announced that it would charge $100 for rail tickets from NYC’s Penn Station to MetLife Stadium for World Cup games. That's a seven-fold increase from its usual price of $13.
In Boston, according to WBUR, a train ticket to Gillette Stadium will cost you $80, while a bus is somehow more expensive — at $95.
These surprise charges come as World Cup host cities struggle to recoup costs from FIFA's festivities and infrastructure demands.
"FIFA is set to reap nearly $11 billion from this summer's World Cup, yet New York area commuters and residents are being handed the bill," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a social media post. "The least FIFA can do is ensure New York residents can go to the stadium without being gouged at the turnstile. I am demanding FIFA step up and cover transportation costs for host cities and states."
Of course, Kansas City's existing public transit system remains far less extensive or reliable than nearly every other host city — which is why ConnectKC26 was created in the first place.
The KCATA will also institute $2 bus fares in June, after more than six years of offering free rides to all. So the $5 unlimited day pass for World Cup "region direct" routes will be on par.
Kansas City also won't charge general admission fees for its FIFA Fan Festival, hosted at the National WWI Memorial and Museum (although you will need to reserve a ticket in advance). Boston and Philadelphia's festivals will also remain free.
However, fans in both Los Angeles and New York City will have to pay to get in.
Stadium direct routes
On game days, Kansas City will set up park-and-ride stops where riders will pay to park before boarding the buses.
These routes will connect game ticket holders to Arrowhead Stadium (aka Kansas City Stadium) and these five locations:
- FIFA Fan Festival at the National WWI Memorial and Museum (2 Memorial Dr, Kansas City, MO)
- Highway 40 (Highway 40 & Stadium Dr, Kansas City, MO)
- Independence Center (18801 E 39th St S, Independence, MO)
- Oak Park Mall (1149 W 95th St, Overland Park, KS)
- North Kansas City (520 E 19th Ave, North Kansas City, MO)
One round trip ticket will cost $15 per person.
That's significantly less than the cost of parking at the stadium, which will be severely limited and hiked up even in comparison to Chiefs game days.
FIFA's parking website shows Kansas City Stadium's lot pricing starting at $125-150 per car for group stage matches, and up to $225 for the quarterfinal match.
The KCATA has just one bus route that serves the stadiums, the 47-Broadway lines, but it's not particularly reliable in the evenings after games get out.
Kansas City's region direct routes
The following region direct routes will connect riders to the FIFA Fan Festival at the National WWI Memorial and Museum.
These lines will run throughout the tournament, from June 11 through July 13.
- North Kansas City (520 E 19th Ave, North Kansas City, MO)
- Worlds of Fun (4545 Worlds of Fun Ave, Kansas City, MO)
- Liberty (1915 College Street, Liberty, MO)
- Boardwalk Square (8600 N Boardwalk Ave, Kansas City, MO)
- Independence Square (13910 E Truman Road, Independence, MO)
- Independence Center (18801 E 39th St S, Independence, MO)
- Lee’s Summit (217 SW Main St, Lee's Summit, MO)
- 3-Trails Transit Center (9449 Blue Ridge Blvd, Kansas City, MO)
- Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium (6700 Swope Pkwy, Kansas City, MO)
- Overland Park Convention Center (6000 College Blvd, Overland Park, KS)
- Oak Park Mall (11149 W 95th St, Overland Park, KS)
- Mission Transit Center (5251 Johnson Dr, Mission, KS)
- Lenexa City Center (8741 Ryckert St, Lenexa, KS)
- The Legends (10824 Parallel Pkwy SPC 700, Kansas City, KS)
- Lawrence (2315 Bob Billings Pkwy, Lawrence, KS)
Visitors and locals can book a pass in advance to get unlimited rides on the regional direct routes. A day pass is $5, a weekly pass is $25, and a full tournament pass is $50.
Buses are scheduled every 20 minutes on each route. (Except for Lawrence, Kansas, where buses will come at 30 minute intervals.
Below are the dates for the FIFA Fan Festival. Tickets are free, but advanced registration is required.
- Heartland Hello, June 11-14, 16
- Sports Town USA, June 19-21
- The World’s Game, June 24-27
- Home Team, July 3-5
- KC Creates, July 9-11
When are Kansas City's World Cup games?
Kansas City will host six matches at Arrowhead Stadium this summer.
- Group Stage: Argentina vs. Algeria — Tuesday, June 16, 2026 at 7 p.m.
- Group Stage: Ecuador vs. Curacao — Saturday, June 20, 2026 at 7 p.m.
- Group Stage: Tunisia vs. Netherlands — Thursday, June 25, 2026 at 6 p.m.
- Group Stage: Algeria vs. Austria — Saturday, June 27, 2026 at 9 p.m.
- Round of 32: TBD — Friday, July 3, 2026
- Quarter-Final: TBD — Saturday, July 11, 2026
