KU Expected to Host 2026 FIFA World Cup Team

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is approaching in less than a year and the Kansas Jayhawks are looking to get in on the action.

During a recent KU Athletics Board of Directors meeting, Deputy Athletics Director for External Affairs and Revenue Generation Jason Booker told reporters that it would be a “shock if Lawrence/KU isn’t chosen as a base camp” for one of the teams next summer.

It’s something KU has been pitching for a while as the city and the university aim to capitalize on the World Cup coming to Kansas City starting June 11, 2026.

The athletics department is hoping a World Cup team will stay in Lawrence and use Rock Chalk Park – home of KU women’s soccer – as the team’s training facility during their stay.

Kansas City is one of 11 U.S. cities chosen to host World Cup matches. The games will be played at Arrowhead Stadium – home of the Kansas City Chiefs – where there will be a total of six matches over the course of a four-week period, including four group-stage matches, one Round of 32 match, and a quarterfinal match.

The teams coming to Kansas City are yet to be announced, and therefore it’s unclear which country’s squad would be staying in Lawrence.

However, earlier this summer, Booker said that three of the top 10 soccer clubs in the world have toured KU’s facilities. And he expressed excitement at the possibility of having an international presence in Lawrence and what that could bring.

“Think of having a festival out in the parking lot at Rock Chalk Park as an international flavor and feel, (and) welcoming people from all over the globe that want to come and be a part of World Cup,” he said.

If KU were to be chosen as a base camp for one of the teams, it could be a huge opportunity for KU Athletics, the university as a whole, and the Lawrence community.

That type of international exposure doesn’t come around often, and it could be a big revenue generator for the city/university and a chance to market the KU women’s soccer program to recruits in both the U.S. and in other countries.

It would also be a great opportunity to grow the KU brand across the world, similar to what the Kansas football program is aiming to do by playing in the first-ever college football game in Wembley Stadium in London next September.

For KU to have that amount of international exposure in just the span of a few months would be unmatched by any other university in college athletics.