The soccer stadium at Rock Chalk Park is pictured in this file photo from Aug. 22, 2014.

By this time next year, Lawrence should know whether it has won the equivalent of a multimillion-dollar soccer lottery.

That’s one way to look at the 48 “base camps” that will be part of the 2026 World Cup that will be hosted in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Those camps — spread out over all three countries — will be the home away from home for the 48 teams competing in the 37-day tournament that is generally billed as the biggest sporting event in the world, and perhaps one of the most fan-crazed spectacles on the planet.

If you are unsure of that, consider this: Upward of 20,000 fans usually take residence for weeks at a time in whatever community serves as the base camp for their team. That’s what Lawrence is competing to host, and on Wednesday area leaders with World Cup ties said the city is definitely in the running to be a base camp community.

If selected, the University of Kansas’ soccer facilities at Rock Chalk Park would be a team’s base of operations in Lawrence. Officials with FIFA — the organizing body for the World Cup — have already visited Rock Chalk Park. FIFA officials have been in the area multiple times inspecting Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium, which will be one of 11 U.S. sites hosting actual World Cup matches.

“I think Lawrence’s chances are pretty good, without having any insider info,” Jake Reid, president and CEO of Sporting Kansas City, told me at a Wednesday event in Kansas City. “Location is huge, and that facility is fantastic. FIFA was blown away from the standpoint of what they expected versus what they saw.”

Members of the Lawrence and Kansas City, Kansas, chambers of commerce were told on Wednesday that FIFA is expected to release the list of 48 base camp communities in the summer of 2024. (Technically there are 49 base camps in total, but one of them will be a smaller camp for World Cup officials, rather than a team.)

Individual communities will have to make pitches to teams that have qualified for the tournament to convince them to choose their community. Some communities may be able to host more than one team, so getting on the list doesn’t guarantee you will end up with a team to host.

Bonnie Lowe, president and CEO of the Lawrence chamber of commerce, said her group was very interested in doing what it takes to get Lawrence on the list of base camp communities.

“It would allow us to showcase cultural attractions, sporting events, downtown, retail, bars and restaurants,” Lowe said. “They would all benefit when that occurs, and I’m hopeful that it will.”

Reid said Lawrence certainly should be aggressive in trying to win a base camp designation because it will produce a true infusion of cash in the community. He said teams often show up weeks ahead of the tournament beginning. Then, depending on how far they advance in the tournament, they could be in the community for weeks more while games are underway. The teams train on an almost daily basis, and fans of that team often stay in the base city because those training sessions might be the only chance they get to see their teams in person.

Tickets to World Cup matches are considered some of the most difficult tickets in all of sports to obtain. Kathy Nelson, president and CEO of the Kansas City Sports Commission, said FIFA has indicated that for every ticket bought to a World Cup match there are at least 10 other people who travel to the event to be around the spectacle even though they don’t have access to the match.

“Many people throughout the world take a month off for vacation and travel to the World Cup,” Nelson said.

It all adds up to a lot of people with money to spend, and if Lawrence can become a base camp, there would be many of them staying in Lawrence for weeks, Reid said.

“It is probably hard to put a number on it now, but it is definitely in the millions,” Reid said of the consumer spending a base camp would create in Lawrence.

Lowe also said it was an excellent chance for Lawrence to gain international recognition in a way that would be difficult to duplicate.

“It is a generational event in terms of economic development impact,” Lowe said. “It is long lasting. After the 2026 event, people will come back to Lawrence because they will remember Lawrence from that event.”

Reid, who has been part of the group that successfully lobbied to have Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium chosen as a match site, said he’s confident that the Kansas City area is going to be a much-sought-after location by teams looking for base camps. He said the U.S. Soccer National Development Center, located in Kansas City, Kansas, is already regarded as one of the top base camp locations in the country, even though the list hasn’t been released.

“We have the best facility in the bid,” Reid said of possible base camp sites. “One of the big countries will be coming to KCK. I can’t state it any clearer than that.”

Lawrence, though, will have to sweat out a decision on a base camp. In this area, it is expected to be competing with other soccer complexes in Kansas City, including a new one for the Kansas City Current, the professional women’s soccer club, and a complex in Swope Park.

Several other World Cup updates were provided to community leaders at Wednesday’s event, which took place at the headquarters of Sporting Kansas City and was sponsored by the chambers of commerce in Lawrence and Kansas City, Kansas. They included:

• Kansas City is expected to benefit from the World Cup’s decision to allow more teams in the tournament. The tournament now will have 104 matches, up from 64 in the past. Kansas City originally had expected to host five to seven matches. Now that the field has been expanded, Nelson said the number of KC matches could grow to eight or nine.

• Kansas City has projected an economic impact of $650 million in direct event spending from the World Cup. That number was based on the estimate of five to seven games taking place in Kansas City.

• Kansas City should learn in the fourth quarter of this year how many matches will be played in Kansas City and on what dates. The entire tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

• Nelson said Kansas City will make a pitch to brand itself with World Cup fans as the location of choice for fans — or corporate sponsors — who may be traveling to several World Cup sites during the tournament. Of the 16 match sites in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, Kansas City is the only location that is within a four-hour flight of all the other match sites, she said.

• Sponsorships are expected to be a big deal in the tournament. Kansas City organizers are allowed to create 10 partnership deals — basically sponsorships, although FIFA doesn’t use that term. Nelson said those 10 packages are expected to generate $30 million to $50 million for the local World Cup host organization.

• Kansas City will be expected to have a Fan Fest operating every day of the World Cup tournament. A site for that hasn’t yet been selected in Kansas City. Communities like Lawrence are being encouraged to come up with their own festivals that would attract the attention of fans.

“I would encourage all of you to start thinking about what you want this to be and then start coming up with some fun ideas,” Nelson said.