The Johnson County Board of Commissioners gave the green light last week to secure 50 multi-passenger coach vehicles to help with transportation needs during the FIFA 2026 World Cup.
Commissioners voted 6-1 to move forward with a $1.5 million lease of 50 Ford F650 Glaval Concord III passenger vans, with each van capable of transporting up to 35 passengers.
Johnson County Transit Director Josh Powers told commissioners about the need to act quickly in anticipation of high demand for passenger transportation — across the country and locally — in connection to the World Cup.
“The ability to reserve vehicles for possible use in Johnson County in 2026 during the World Cup is a concern, as the demand for all manner of vehicles, built and as of yet unbuilt, will be a national issue,” Powers wrote in a briefing sheet to commissioners.
The Kansas City region is slated to host six World Cup matches in the summer of 2026 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
The three locations in the Kansas City area to serve as base camps include the KC Current’s training facility in Riverside, Sporting KC’s training center in Kansas City, Kansas, and the University of Kansas in Lawrence.
Each location would be connected to a specific hotel for the teams: Hotel Kansas City - The Unbound Collection by Hyatt , the Sheraton Overland Park Hotel at the Convention Center and the Stonehill Lawrence, Trademark Collection by Wyndham , respectively.
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Powers told commissioners the event “is almost certain to create transportation challenges,” especially as the Overland Park Sheraton hosts one of the base camps.
He added they are working with the county’s transit operations contractor, Transdev, to explore bringing in drivers from other parts of the country during the World Cup.
Funding for the leased vehicles would come from $1.3 million in federal funds, with an additional $300,000 from the county’s reserves.
“As the various stakeholders across the metro have begun to prepare for 2026, the availability of vehicles is a primary concern,” Powers wrote. “This agreement would ensure that regardless of what other World Cup partners do on behalf of the region, [JoCo] Transit would have the capacity to respond to transportation needs in Johnson County while maintaining regular transit service over the course of the event.”
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