World Cup will be KC’s biggest-ever event, top founder says (and local businesses can still get in the game)

When Neal Sharma co-founded DEG at the turn of the millennium, Kansas City felt like it had an inferiority complex, he said. Fast forward to 2024, and the city is teeming with extrinsic validation, he added.

The exited founder-turned-civic leader hopes being a World Cup host city in 2026 pushes Kansas City to take a long look in the mirror.

“We have swagger,” explained Sharma, who serves as vice president of the Kansas City FIFA World Cup 26 board of directors.

“We’re coming into our own,” he told a crowd gathered Thursday by the Kansas City, Kansas, and Shawnee chambers of commerce. “We have been applauded over and over and over again, and we’re having national and international attention — and I don’t just mean Taylor Swift.”

Neal Sharma, a member of the KC 2025 World Cup Organizing Committee, speaks during the “Over The Fence” World Cup update luncheon at The Venue in Kansas City, Kansas; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu; Startland News

Kansas City is expected to play host to six FIFA World Cup 2026 matches at Arrowhead Stadium, joining such American host cities as Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta, Miami and Philadelphia.

“This is a real opportunity for us to build an intrinsic sense of self confidence,” Sharma continued, “so we recognize any opportunity or challenge in the future and know we can take it on.”

Sharma — who is now the president of Dentsu Shop after Digital Evolution Group (DEG)’s exit in 2018 — is making the rounds at area chambers to answer questions and to help members understand the magnitude of what he calls the most transformative potential boon for the region in a generation, if not residents’ entire lives.

“It’s such a tremendous opportunity,” he said. “We’ve got to think about the scale of it, and we’ve got to think entrepreneurially about what we all collectively could do to take advantage of this moment.”

Neal Sharma, a member of the KC 2025 World Cup Organizing Committee, speaks during the “Over The Fence” World Cup update luncheon at The Venue in Kansas City, Kansas; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu; Startland News

“When I testified in front of the Kansas Legislature, I just said, ‘Listen, this is the biggest thing that’s happened in Kansas since Kansas.’ It’s a big deal and there’s no other way to express it. There’s going to be a ton of people here.”

An estimated 650,000 visitors are expected to hit Kansas City for the World Cup over 35 to 40 days in June and July 2026, Sharma noted, but he expects more. Plus, billions of people will be watching on TV, he added.

The previous World Cup final was watched by 1.1 billion people — compared to about 120 million for the Super Bowl featuring the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this year — and the 2026 event will feature 16 more teams.

“We want to showcase to global audiences the vitality of our economy, the richness of our culture, and, most importantly, the welcoming character of our people,” Sharma explained, “firmly establishing KC as the heart and capital of the Midwest and I’d say the heart of our nation. We live in incredibly divisive times, and we are the kinds of folks in this region that can demonstrate — in little and big ways — the kindness of people and serve as a model for what it means to bring folks together.”

Neal Sharma, a member of the KC 2025 World Cup Organizing Committee, speaks during the “Over The Fence” World Cup update luncheon at The Venue in Kansas City, Kansas; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu; Startland News

Thanks to its central location and top-quality soccer facilities, Kansas City — the smallest of the 16 cities hosting 2026 World Cup games — is in a good position to attract some of the top teams to the area for base camp, Sharma said, which will attract even more fans.

“It is a testament, by the way, to the investments that were made — in particular to our soccer infrastructure — for us to be the soccer capital of America that put us in the running,” he added.

To take advantage of this tremendous opportunity, Sharma detailed three ways for local businesses to get involved: as a vendor, as a sponsor, or as an organization creatively working alongside the effort.

“How can your business, your association, your organization, play a role that — not only benefits you — but lifts us all up and takes us into our next great era?” he said, challenging entrepreneurs and business representatives in the crowd.

He also encouraged chamber members to keep an eye on local business opportunities on the KC2026 site and to fill out the World Cup business interest form.