Kansas City World Cup Tourism Estimates Exceed L.A. By 233%

Recently, one of our best & most cantankerous readers questioned TKC about World Cup blogging and his note proves EXCEPTIONALLY insightful.

Here's the word . . .  

"I don't know why you are using the Visit KC propaganda of 600,000 visitors because other cities hosting the World Cup are not using anything close to that number. I'm surprised KC's estimate is not in the millions." 

From our end . . .

As always . . . The answer is . . . If we didn't quote city hall & local hype machines, than we wouldn't have anything to constantly debunk. Of course, help is always appreciated. 

To wit . . . Let's make the question plain . . . 

DOES ANYBODY REALLY BELIEVE KANSAS CITY WILL BEAT LOS ANGELES IN WORLD CUP TOURISM?!?

 Before answering . . .

Let's consider that this all seems like a repeat of KC's "historic" meme wherein this town's cheerleaders were deservedly embarrassed for their irrational exuberance.  

More to the point . . .

VISIT KC SHOULD STOP SPREADING EASILY DEBUNKED WORLD CUP 2026 HYPE & START HELPING LOCAL BIZ PREPARE FOR THE HOT MESS IN THE MAKING!!!

 To assist in this effort . . . We're sharing some of the more REALISTIC crowd estimate info for context: 

"The standing estimate for the economic impact for L.A. County from next year's Cup events is $594 million. That's based on expectations of 180,000 out-of-town visitors arriving for the eight matches, which include the opening match for the U.S. men's team."

This estimate is backed up by LA's Sports Commish as well . . .  More deets:

"Projections show L.A. County can expect $594 million in economic impact generated by the historic 39-day-long tournament. Altogether the influx of 180,000 out-of-town visitors during the tournament window will deliver a quarter of a billion dollars in increased wages for employees in Southern California distributed across many industries in the L.A. area, including hotels, restaurants, entertainment and retail. World Cup fans typically spend more than the average tourist with an average of $2,350 per person during their stay, according to the Micronomics report."

Again . . .

These aren't bad numbers and KC would be lucky to achieve anything close . . . But more reliable economic data doesn't match the 600K figure touted by Visit KC  . . . AND  . . . The estimates overlook "challenges" to World Cup attendance. 

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

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Developing . . .