[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 184 (Wednesday, October 20, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7098-S7099]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                             FIFA World Cup

  Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, I am joined on the floor today by my 
colleague from Missouri, Senator Blunt, and we rise today to welcome 
the FIFA World Cup selection committee to Kansas City and to express 
our strong support for Kansas City's bid to serve as the 2026 World Cup 
host city.
  I express my gratitude to the leadership of Mayor Quinton Lucas and 
to the leadership of Kathy Nelson from the Kansas City sporting 
authority, the president and CEO.
  Our community, our joint community--Kansas City, people may know, is 
on two sides of the State line--the Missouri side of the State line and 
the Kansas side of the State line. Sometimes we are rivals, but in many 
instances, we are allies and friends, and that is the circumstance we 
are here today.
  Kansas City boasts a rich history of both professional and amateur 
sports. Kansas City is the home of the National Collegiate Basketball 
Hall of Fame; the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; as well as the 2020 
Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs; the 2015 World Series 
champions, the Kansas City Royals; and the two-time Major League Soccer 
Cup champions, Sporting KC. It is also the hometown of our world-
renowned football coach, Ted Lasso.
  Sporting KC has energized the region's diverse and passionate soccer 
fan base--a fan base that I am confident is ready to pack up their bags 
and head to Arrowhead Stadium, the loudest stadium in the world, to 
cheer on the U.S. men's national team and other nations that compete 
there.
  Soccer has become an even larger part of the culture of Kansas City 
after U.S. Soccer's National Development Center officially opened in 
Kansas City, KS, in May of 2018. The NDC is the perfect location--the 
perfect location--for any team to recover, practice, and prepare for 
their upcoming matches.
  Spanning more than 50 acres, this 81,000-square-foot, state-of-the-
art practice, education, and medical facility includes three natural 
grass fields and two artificial turf fields, with a two-story coaching 
pavilion, and houses the Children's Mercy Sports Medicine Center.
  Kansas City has been host to other major sporting events. The city 
regularly welcomes thousands and thousands of fans for events such as 
the Big 12 men's NCAA basketball championship and the NCAA March 
Madness and will be the location for the 2023 National Football 
League--the NFL--Draft.
  Due to major investment in Kansas City's transportation and 
infrastructure--something that both Senator Blunt and I and our 
colleagues, Senator Hawley and Senator Marshall, have worked on--Kansas 
City is well equipped to support soccer fans from around the globe. 
They will be welcomed at a brandnew Kansas City International Airport, 
which is currently undergoing a $1.5 billion renovation restart for a 
state-of-the-art terminal that is scheduled to be completed in 2023.
  In 2020, Kansas City also became the first major metropolitan area to 
offer bus transportation free of charge. Additionally, the Kansas City 
Streetcar offers free fares with stops just a short walk from many 
magnificent dining and dynamic entertaining experiences in Kansas City.
  Early in my postcollege career, I had an office in downtown Kansas 
City. The circumstances of Kansas City today and that long time ago 
when I was a worker in downtown Kansas City are significantly 
different. The entertainment opportunities are immense--the

[[Page S7099]]

arrival of a major, magnificent Sprint Center; hotels, new, large, 
elegant--all have arrived in Kansas City in just the last few years.
  I am confident the entire Kansas City region is ready to make the 
2026 FIFA World Cup a resounding success and is excited to add this 
prestigious tournament to its sporting history.
  Again, we welcome the World Cup selection committee to Kansas City 
today and to the State of Kansas and to the State of Missouri. We 
welcome them. They are being welcomed to a world-class city known for 
its heartland hospitality.
  I yield to the Senator from Missouri.
  Mr. BLUNT. Mr. President, I want to thank my good friend Senator 
Moran for actually all he has done to try to make it possible to see 
the FIFA World Cup games come to Kansas City.
  This is the biggest sporting event in the world. Frankly, soccer has 
become a bigger part of the entire American society. Kids are playing 
soccer out there before they can really focus on which way the soccer 
ball is supposed to go. There is maybe nothing more fun than watching 
the 3- and 4-year-old soccer match just to see what happens in that 
match. But around the world, it is important. It is important where 
Jerry and I live. Giant banners with the phrase ``We Want the Cup'' are 
proudly displayed on buildings. They are on the streetcar. They are 
everywhere you want to look. The Kansas City Chiefs' quarterback, 
Patrick Mahomes, and the Royals' catcher, Salvador Perez, are leading 
the charge to bring the World Cup to Kansas City.
  There is no question that sports are a major part of where we live, 
professional and nonprofessional. The Women's World Cup in 2019 was 
celebrated by fans watching games in the Power & Light District. They 
were broadcast on TV all over the world. Watching Kansas City fans 
watch the World Cup, we saw hundreds of thousands of fans flood the 
streets to join the Kansas City Royals in celebrating their World 
Series title in 2015. We saw an incredible crowd when the Kansas City 
Chiefs brought home the Lombardi Trophy in 2019. In 2023, Kansas City 
will host the NFL Draft.
  So if our friends from the World Cup selection team are watching, 
there are others things that have happened to give evidence to the 
great sports heartbeat of Kansas City. There is plenty to look at and 
plenty to see. We have the infrastructure we think we need to meet that 
world sporting event.
  Arrowhead Stadium, as Senator Moran mentioned, is top notch. It is a 
great place for fans. It is a great place to feel the sense of the game 
and what can happen there. Local leaders have done everything they 
could, I think, to secure the right kind of practice fields, the right 
kind of facilities. Children's Mercy Park would be one of those. In 
2021, the Concacaf Gold Cup was hosted there.
  Mayor Quinton Lucas is here today. In fact, he is here watching us 
today from the Gallery. He is here advocating for all things Kansas 
City but is a particular advocate for seeing this world-class event 
come to Kansas City.
  Location is another advantage we have. We are right in the middle of 
the country. We are close to the host cities in Canada and in Mexico 
that would be part of this event. I think we are better positioned than 
the other 16 cities to really move forward on this bid.
  The new airport, as Senator Moran mentioned, will be welcoming to 
whoever comes to this event if they come to Kansas City. They are going 
to be pleased with that facility.
  There are lots of opportunities in Kansas City to spend your free 
time and enjoy what we get to enjoy all the time: the famous barbecue, 
the world-class museums, the Negro Leagues Museum in Kansas City, the 
Nelson-Atkins art gallery. There is really a vibrant nightlife and 
music scene in Kansas City today.
  Nearby States have agreed that Kansas City is the right choice. It 
has become the Midwest choice for this event. In May, associations that 
represent 310,000 youth soccer players, coaches, and referees from the 
Midwest came together to endorse the Kansas City bid.
  The financial benefits are obviously benefits that we would be 
excited about if we get a chance to host this. According to the Kansas 
City Sports Commission CEO and president, Kathy Nelson, the economic 
impact on the region could be up to $1 billion.
  With a rich sports culture, endless entertainment options, strong 
infrastructure, and an easily accessible central location in our 
country, Kansas City is the right choice for the 2026 FIFA World Cup 
host city, and Senator Moran and I and our colleagues from Kansas and 
Missouri endorse this effort and are glad that the selection team is 
looking today at what they are going to get if they decide to come to 
Kansas City.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.