BUILDING FOR DECADES
Brian Budzinski knows a thing or two about passion at the World Cup.
The Kansas City Comets owner and managing partner was in the middle of a mass of humanity and nationalities en route to the U.S.-Italy game in Kaiserslautern in 2006, along with his future wife.
"When I say my face was two inches away from somebody else's face, I might be exaggerating," he said. "We're breathing the same air. Everybody from the casual fans to the people working with credentials. The traffic was so out of control, but the environment was so positive. We were crammed like sardines inside this bu. It could have been a bad experience. At a certain point, I started looking around at everybody. I was the closest to the door. I literally had my mouth sticking out of the tiny crack of the doorjamb to try to get some fresh air.
"I looked at a couple of people. Five different nationalities around me, and I said, 'Should I should pull the handle.' They looked at me. I go, 'We all need to get off this. Everybody’s walking.' We're going to get there faster. Everybody was like, 'Pull the lever! Pull the lever!
"Then all sudden, the whole bus started chanting, 'Pull the lever!' It was one of the coolest things. I pulled the lever, opened the door and everybody rushed out like crazy. We're all high fiving and celebrating and passing adult beverages around to each other. That has nothing to do with the actual the game. I actually remember that more than I remember the bad calls in the game. I think that's what you're going to find with a lot of folks."
Especially in Kansas City.
On Friday, Budzinski along with long-time Comets TV commentator and Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce's senior vice president, Public Policy Erik Bergrud, KC and the rest of the world will learn who will playing at Arrowhead Stadium next year, at the World Cup draw in Washington, D.C.
They'll be watching from Kansas City during a final draw party in the Power & Light District, the site of many World Cup viewing parties through the years.
Now the world will be coming to KC.
"The matchups are, obviously are what a lot of the national pundits will talk about,” Budzinski said. “But I think for the actual citizens of Kansas City, and the people that are like in the market going to games, it's so much more than that. You're going to interact with people from all over the world that you would never have conversations with. It's more of the spectacle, more of the event, the pomp and circumstance. The game itself is not secondary by any means, but it's a part of the overall experience, story and memory that these people are going to have."
Kansas City is the smallest market of the 16 venues in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
"For a market our size to get not just one game, but six, including a quarterfinal, putting us on par with larger cities,” Bergrud said. “That's huge, but it's also a testament to Kansas City's long history and supporting soccer, which dates back to the old NASL era."
Indeed, it does.
Kansas City's passion for supporting professional soccer goes way back to the Kansas City Spurs, a member of the original North American Soccer League in 1968.
During the Comets' season-opening broadcast against the St. Louis Ambush on Saturday, Bergrud threw out a trivia question.
"What is the only U.S. city that has been the home of NASL champions, MLS champions, NWSL champions, and indoor champions?" he asked. "It's Kansas City. This isn't just some new fad in Kansas City. This is something that's been building for decades."
During 26 magical days from June 16 to July 11, the Emerald City will host six World Cup matches, four in the group stage, one in the Round of 32 and a quarterfinal on Saturday, July 11.
"The fact that Kansas City was selected for a quarterfinal puts us in a position to have two of the eight best teams in the world competing in Kansas City," Bergrud said. "Just looking back at the eight quarterfinalists from four years ago, that game is going to put Kansas City on the world stage. They will see Kansas City on the LED screen. They're going to hear Kansas City fans throughout the world, billions of fans. It's going to have huge positive brand impact for our community."
Budzinski noted that when Landon Donovan scored that dramatic stoppage-time goal against Algeria to boost the U.S. men into the knockout round of the 2010 World Cup, the original viral video showed thousands of fans in the Power & Light District going wild.
"Because it was the largest collection of American fans watching a U.S. soccer match," he said. "That meant something to 3,000, 4,000 people to go. The rest of the viral videos they showed were in sports bars where 300, 400, 500, 600 are great crowds inside. But there's a difference from a passion standpoint."
It might be 6 1/2 months to the World Cup kickoff, but the Comets already have plans to welcome fans and the world during June and July.
The Comets, their venue at Cable Dahmer Arena and Independence, Mo. are working to hold various events at the team's Major Arena Soccer League venue during the entire World Cup.
"I believe that you will see the Comets field and various fan activities and things like that that will be tied in with the City of Independence.”
Bergrud agreed.
"I think there's a great opportunity for Comets players and fans," he said. "We're still looking for cultural ambassadors. Unofficially, I would anticipate seeing Comets players throughout the community. Many of them are bilingual and trilingual. We're going to show how welcoming a city we are when the world comes next summer."
There also is a legacy. KC has hosted many U.S. men's and women's international matches, plus Copa America, Concacaf Gold Cup, an MLS Cup and NWSL championship.
Kansas City wants to continue to host high-profile soccer events, indoors and outdoors. Independence, Mo. hosted the 2020 MASL all-star game, which welcomed back the sport after the pandemic subsided. Its five-year anniversary is Friday, Dec. 5.
"I think the sense is that we can deliver in big tournaments," Bergrud said. "If you look at a map, there isn't any site near us. So, the thought is that the entire Midwest will be coming to Kansas City. We're anticipating 650,000 visitors throughout the tournament.
"What's the future for Kansas City after the World Cup?" Bergrud asked. "I'll be curious to see what the future investments in soccer infrastructure are beyond this. And fingers crossed, as Kansas City is one of the cities under consideration to host 2031 Women's World Cup matches. We hope that 2026 is just the first of many international competitions here."
Both men are excited from a personal level as well.
Bergrud acquired game tickets after going through some FIFA ticket process.
"I'm excited to go out to what will be called Kansas City Stadium to watch a game," he said. "But also in my day job with the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, we're planning some activities at some receptions related to the countries that will be visiting Kansas City during the tournament. I work right across the street from the National World War I Museum and Memorial, which will be the site of the official FIFA Fan Fest. So, I will be living, breathing and dreaming about soccer for that entire period."
Budzinski can't wait for the first Kansas City game on June 16.
"I'm going to nerd out. I'm going to geek out." he said. "I'm excited. For six weeks, me and my family, we're going to go to every single game that we possibly can. At my house. I'm going to have a TV set up outside to watch games around the pool. It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing to have it in our town. I'm going to be wearing red, white and blue for basically six weeks, non-stop.
"My son is 13, my daughter's 16. They've seen the pictures of mom and dad in Germany as some young-ins. The only thing that gets me more excited than a Kansas City Comets' victory is watching my national team. That is the one thing that I geek out to. I will continue to geek out until I'm not allowed to geek out anymore."
Michael Lewis, the sixth recipient of the Clay Berling Media Career of Excellence Award in 2025, can be followed on X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky at @Soccerwriter.