World Cup will produce KC small biz millionaires in just weeks, leaders say, but it’s only the start

Kansas City can’t look at the World Cup in 2026 as one big event where businesses are going to make good money for a while, and then everything goes back to normal, said Wes Rogers. 

“This has to be the beginning of the next chapter of our city,” the 2nd District Councilman for Kansas City, Missouri, told attendees at Right to Start’s launch event for the Missouri Starters Coalition — a statewide initiative to enhance the landscape of entrepreneurship — on Thursday at Keystone CoLAB.

RELATED: Missouri Starters Coalition debuts effort to boost homegrown jobs, future founders

Wes Rogers, 2nd District Councilman for KCMO and chair of the city’s Small Business Task Force, center, speaks on panel moderated by Right to Start’s Jason Grill, right; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Rogers — the chair of KCMO’s small business task force — joined Taylor Overton, co-chair of the National Entrepreneurship Leaders Network, Janá Wagner, division manager for KC BizCare, and Tracy Whelpley, director of regional impact for KC2026, during a panel discussing the FIFA World Cup and small business. Jason Grill, chief government affairs officer of Right to Start, moderated the panel.

“We’re setting it up so that small businesses that want to start can actually jump-start through the World Cup and get exposure to all these people that are in our town,” Rogers continued. “But then again, that’s just the start.”

“Then people realize that Kansas City is a great place to visit, that it’s low-cost compared to some of these bigger cities, and that Kansas City is really what America is about,” he added. “And then they tell their friends in these other countries to come back and visit again and spend money on our businesses.”

“That 26 days is going to make millionaires in our communities,” Overton added. “And we have the ability to influence and to position our small businesses for it not to be just 26 days but to position our small businesses for that legacy impact.”

Whelpley said the KC2026 organizing group expects 650,000 visitors in the Kansas City area for six matches that will take place from June 16 to July 11, resulting in $650,000 in direct economic impact.

“That’s what visitors will spend on things like hotels, their meals, some entertainment, transportation,” she explained. “We believe that’s conservative. It doesn’t account for the indirect impacts and tertiary impacts.”

They estimate about 25 percent of those visitors will have tickets to the matches and the rest will be going to FIFA Fan Fest and out exploring the Kansas City region, Whelpley noted.

“I think that’s the biggest opportunity,” she continued, “to welcome them, to be prepared to serve them, to deliver the Kansas City magic, and to showcase all small businesses, the people, the communities that create the vibrant community and momentum.”

RELATED: Kansas City’s hospitality industry braces for World Cup workforce scramble

New tools to hit goals

Panelists on Thursday also talked about steps the city of Kansas City, Missouri, is taking to help small businesses capitalize on the World Cup traffic and steps small businesses should take to be ready for summer 2026.

Rogers said the city council is reducing the fees for outdoor dining from $850 to nothing. 

“It’s a great win for the restaurants,” he added.

RELATED: KCMO slashes fees for outdoor dining permits, launches dining trail for grant winning projects

Janá Wagner, division manager for KC BizCare, shares a laugh with Tracy Whelpley, director of regional impact for KC2026, during a panel discussing the FIFA World Cup and small business; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

The city is also planning to implement its Small Business Storefront Vacancy Revitalization Pilot Program, Wagner noted, to put micro and small businesses in commercial lease spaces. Applications should be available in the next few weeks.

“It is an economic development opportunity, for sure, because there’s so many vacancies in the city,” she explained. “We’re talking businesses that normally don’t get the opportunity to run a physical location, whether it’s because they’re e-commerce based or they just don’t have the means or wherewithal to be able to obtain these things.”

ICYMI: KCMO sets aside $1.4M to get small biz, artists in the front door before World Cup arrives

The initiative is modeled after a Seattle program that offers lease subsidies up to $25,000. KCMO will not offer the same amount, Wagner said, but the city plans to subsidize up to 80 percent of the total monthly lease cost.

“We’ll also be providing working capital on site and for small businesses to be able to fill out the space, make sure they have enough inventory, make sure they have enough human capital to actually operate the storefront,” she added.

Part of the initiative includes an artist installation, Wagner continued. 

“If you’re an artist and you want to sell or if you want to do some sort of entertainment activation, we will have stipends for you to apply for,” she said. “We haven’t set a number on that yet, but we really want to activate the city and make sure that artists are a part of that initiative, as well, because we are a very big arts city.”

Work begins now

Whelpley encouraged small business owners who haven’t yet filled out KC2026’s small business interest form to complete it quickly. The data from that form will be sent to FIFA as it gathers its local suppliers guide for large-scale event production.

Tracy Whelpley, director of regional impact for KC2026, speaks during a panel conversation about FIFA World Cup and small business; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

“They are scanning the marketplace for local businesses that are in those disciplines and that have been in business at least three years that can meet their capacity requirements immediately,” she added.

KC2026 also has procurement opportunities that it will be filling for the FIFA Fan Festival at the WWI Museum and Memorial and the organization will also be using data from the interest form, Whelpley noted.

“They’re on our website,” she continued. “We post them Wednesday mornings at 10 a.m. when they’re available. And we are letting businesses know when we have a posting in the category if they’ve submitted the business interest form.”

Whelpley encouraged small businesses to look at how they can collaborate with others who might be hosting events and activities.

“They’re going to need suppliers and goods and services,” she explained. “So start asking around; find out where the action is.”

There are a lot of procurement platforms, Overton said, so she’s encouraging small businesses to register with SupplierOne, the platform being used for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

“What SupplierOne does for you is it puts you into a database of over 2,000 public and private companies, corporations, government entities that are looking for suppliers in those different categories,” she continued. “It unlocks limitless opportunities.”

Janá Wagner, division manager for KC BizCare, speaks from the stage during a panel conversation about small business involvement with the FIFA World Cup in Kansas City; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Wagner encouraged small business owners hoping to get involved to start getting in compliance with city  guidelines now instead of waiting until closer to the World Cup. 

“Turnaround times for some of the permits are pretty lengthy,” she explained. “So don’t wait until January to try to get certain permits that you’ll need to operate in compliance for the World Cup. Definitely take a look at the regulatory process, understand your fees, understand what departments at the city you’re gonna have to go through for those projects.”

Entrepreneurs also should start mapping out where they are now and where they want to be for the World Cup, Wagner said.

“That’s assessing your human capital, your financials, your inventory, even equipment and supplies that you’ll need,” she said. “Start doing that work now, so that you’re ahead of the curve and not playing catch up and missing out on opportunities.”

The World Cup will be a great opportunity for many Kansas City entrepreneurs, Rogers said, acknowledging the timing might not be right for all — but those builders should still look ahead.

“Continue to believe in yourself,” he continued. “Don’t quit. And if it’s not this time, if you believe in yourself, that will eventually happen.”