photo by: Bremen Keasey/Journal-World

Lawrence residents and organizers of the city's World Cup operations gathered Friday at the Oread Hotel, 1200 Oread Ave., to watch the draw for the FIFA 2026 World Cup. Kim Anspach, the executive director of Explore Lawrence, said today gave the organizers more "puzzle pieces" on what the tournament could look like, but noted there is a lot of work to be done.

As key stakeholders in local logistics surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup gathered Friday to watch the draw take place, leaders shared that the day was a celebration, but that the work is just beginning.

Around 50 key local leaders and residents gathered at the Oread Hotel, 1200 Oread Ave., to watch the draw of the FIFA World Cup, which is similar to the “Selection Sunday” where brackets for the NCAA Tournament are filled.

Kim Anspach, the executive director of Explore Lawrence, addressed the party before the official draw began saying that while today was not the day local organizers get an official answer, it does provide “puzzle pieces” that give a clue to how many visitors might come to Lawrence. It also starts the final process of trying to bring a team to use the city as a base camp for the tournament.

“There is much to be done,” Anspach said.

photo by: Bremen Keasey/Journal-World

Kim Anspach, the executive director of Explore Lawrence, spoke to community organizers and stakeholders ahead of the official draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Anspach said this is an opportunity to show the world that “Lawrence is the place to be.”

Those puzzle pieces include officially mapping out which teams will be playing each other and where they will be playing. Although there are still six spots that will be decided in a playoff that will be held in March 2026 — think of them as the “First Four” of the NCAA Tournament — the teams that will play in Kansas City during the group stage have been selected.

Kansas City was selected to host four group stage matches: one match for both Group E and Group F and two matches for Group J. Now, we know what teams — and likely fans — will make the trip. Group J includes Argentina, Austria, Algeria and Jordan, and Pam Kramer, the the CEO of KC2026, the nonprofit that oversees Kansas City’s host city duties, previously said that group will be the one to watch for teams that might select the region as a base camp.

Although the match schedule is not fully finalized for which teams play where — that will happen Saturday — it is possible the soccer powerhouse Argentina will play in Kansas City twice during the group stage. Other teams that could play group stage matches at Arrowhead Stadium include the Netherlands, Germany, Japan or Ecuador.

Brian Hanni, a broadcaster for KU games who spoke during the event, said local organizers expect to host several countries in the coming weeks. Multiple people involved with the Unified Command group told the Journal-World several countries, including some soccer powerhouses, had visited Lawrence to see the interest of having it as a potential base camp. They also said South Korea had expressed a lot of interest in the city.

Although there will be a flurry of activity in the next week — Rhonda Green, the director of sales and marketing for the Oread Hotel said she will be handling multiple visits between Dec. 7 and Dec. 14 — Anspach reminded planners that Lawrence is “as much in the mix of the tournament as anyone.”

As the Journal-World reported, KC26 organizers announced Tuesday that Lawrence was one of 15 locations across the region that will have a direct connection to downtown Kansas City through daily bus routes. Anspach said it was the work of the Unified Command group that helped make that possible, and it put Lawrence “literally on the map” for visitors.

Those victories are important, but there is still a lot of preparation that the organizers will need to get to before the tournament kicks off on June 11, 2026. with the first match between Mexico and South Africa.

Some of that work includes finding ways to get businesses prepared for additional visitors — especially if they are international. The Unified Command group has already had trainings from leaders and academics within KU’s International Affairs Department about how to better accommodate visitors from different cultures. Now that the group stages are set, it can help them narrow down future trainings.

Leaders have also been planning local watch party events in Lawrence based around matches for the US Men’s National Team and for the matches played in Kansas City. Margann Bennett, the COO for the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, also said if a team selects Lawrence as a base camp, they would want to have watch parties for that team. Any official notification of if Lawrence would be selected as a base camp would happen at the end of January.

Either way, Anspach said that she thought back to initial discussions 18 months ago when organizing a local response seemed “basically impossible.” But the leaders in the community came together to help get big initial wins for Lawrence. She said so far the city has “punch(ed) above (its) weight” with its spirit and hopes the city can take advantage of its spotlight.

“We want to show the country and the world that Lawrence is the place to be,” Anspach said.

Full results of the draw and reaction from the event can be found here.

photo by: Bremen Keasey/Journal-World

Some of the decorations posted around the Oread Hotel, 1200 Oread Ave., for a celebration Friday of the FIFA 2026 World Cup Draw.