‘Special opportunity:’ St. Joseph businesses pitch plans to market city as anticipation builds for World Cup

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- The 2026 FIFA World Cup in June is drawing closer and local businesses in St. Joseph are continuing to brainstorm ideas to market the town to international travelers.

A "Marketing for the World Stage" workshop featuring close to 25 businesses took place Monday at the Launch Pad-STJ in Downtown St. Joseph, an opportunity to bring businesses together to prepare for potential impacts related to the World Cup.

Monday's gathering included discussions about anticipated tourist and visitor counts in Northwest Missouri -- with some estimates in the range of 650,000 -- as well as branding for local businesses both digitally and physically.

What stood out among of a range of topics Monday was the emphasis on "culture." Not just the culture of travelers coming in to watch the world's most popular sporting event -- viewed by more than 5 billion people -- but the culture of St. Joseph and how it can be shown to others.

"People come here wanting to experience our town and it's history," Aspire Business Consulting owner Annette Weeks said. "One thing we're traditionally known for is the Pony Express. We encourage businesses to embrace telling the story of St. Joseph's western theme. Show the history and tradition by embedding it into their marketing as we invite visitors from across the globe."

Monday's meeting was one of multiple World Cup Readiness Workshops planned between now and March. Two follow-up workshops will take place on Feb. 9 and March 9 at 10 a.m., one for staying financially ready for visitors and another for elevating customer experiences.

In addition to displaying St. Joseph's history and culture to visitors, a main priority for local businesses is matching the passion and excitement the World Cup generates for the fans traveling throughout the Kansas City and St. Joseph areas.

"It's important as a community, as well as the small businesses to understand this is a special opportunity unlike any we've ever had before. The World Cup is a huge sporting occasion," Weeks said. "We here in the United States think the Super Bowl is huge, but the World Cup is massive. People from all countries will take 4 to 6 weeks off to come to watch the matches. They base their whole year around attending the World Cup. It's so exciting to be afforded the opportunity to participate in this tournament."

Additional preparations could be key in the event local foot traffic or hotel space exceeds expectations for the event. The 2026 FIFA World Cup marks the first time the tournament will be expanded from 32 to 48 teams.

Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City will host four matches in the group stage of the World Cup, including a Round of 32 and Quarterfinal matchup.

Group Stage matchups in Kansas City include:

• Argentina vs. Algeria, Friday, June 16 at 8 p.m.
  
• Ecuador vs. Curaçao, Tuesday, June 20 at 7 p.m.
  
• Tunisia vs. Netherlands, Sunday, June 25 at 6 p.m.
  
• Algeria vs. Austria, Tuesday, June 27 at 9 p.m.
  
• Round of 32: July 3 at 8:30 p.m.
  
• Quarterfinal: July 11 at 8 p.m.