Kansas City approves 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Men’s Rugby World Cup bids

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —

Will Kansas City get another chance on the world stage?

The Kansas City council is hoping so.

On Thursday, they approved two ordinances moving the city forward in its efforts to host matches for both the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup.

The vote came after Kansas City hosted six matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“Today, we are moving forward on bids to host the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup,” Mayor Quinton Lucas said Thursday. “From our neighborhoods and small businesses to the fans who bring our city to life, hosting the world means another opportunity to showcase the very best of Kansas City once again.”

There’s a possibility the matches for both events could be played at Arrowhead Stadium, meaning those events could be the final sports events there rather than a Chiefs game.

The Chiefs’ new stadium on the Kansas side is expected to open before the 2031 NFL season.

Arrowhead Stadium and CPKC Stadium are listed as potential hosts for soccer matches, while Arrowhead Stadium is listed as a potential host for the Rugby World Cup.

The city also intends to provide funding for services needed to host the tournament, including police, fire, traffic, EMS, transportation and sanitation.

Kathy Nelson, president of the Kansas City Sports Commission and CEO of Visit KC, told KMBC last month that Kansas City’s six World Cup matches generated attention around the world.

Visit KC alone recorded more than 13.2 billion media impressions over five weeks, far surpassing its initial goal of 1 billion.

Nelson said she was already hearing from international event organizers interested in Kansas City following the World Cup.

“The door is certainly open very wide for us,” Nelson said in July. “I have almost daily received inquiries from around the world about, ‘Hey, come check out our event. We’d love to consider Kansas City. We had never thought about Kansas City before.’”

The ordinances do not guarantee the city will host the events.

The United States has been selected as the host country for the 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup.

The host for the FIFA Women’s World Cup has not been announced.