♪ CODY: IT IS THE ULTIMATE COMPETITION ON AN INTERNATIONAL STAGE. SOCCER TEAMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD ARE WORKING TO PROVE THEMSELVES IN THIS YEAR’S FIFA MEN’S WORLD CUP IN QATAR. WHEN IT’S ALL SAID AND DONE, ORGANIZERS ESTIMATE SOME 5 BILLION PEOPLE WILL HAVE WATCHED MATCHES AT SOME POINT DURING THE TOURNAMENT’S 29-DAY RUN. FANS HERE AT HOME ARE PUMPED, NOT JUST BECAUSE WE’RE BECOMING ESTABLISHED AS A SOCCER CITY -- AND WE ARE -- BUT BECAUSE IN FOUR YEARS THAT SAME INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT WILL SHINE ON KANSAS CITY. [CHEERING] YOU’VE SEEN THE WATCH PARTIES, YOU HAVE ALL THE EXCITEMENT, AND WE HAVE TOLD YOU ABOUT THE YEARS IT TOOK TO DEVELOP A PITCH AND BRING PATCHES TO THE METRO. THE PEOPLE IN CHARGE OF KANSAS CITY’S SUCCESSFUL BID ARE WATCHING WHAT IS HAPPENING IN QATAR AS WE PREPARE TO HOST MATCHES. THERE IS A KANSAS CITY DELEGATION ON ITS WAY TO THE MIDDLE EAST RIGHT NOW. PLEASE WELCOME CATHERINE HOLLAND, THE DIRECTOR OF KANSAS CITY’S WORLD CUP BID. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING TIME TO TALK TO US. IS THIS GETTING REAL FOR YOU? THIS MUST BE EXCITING. >> IT IS EXCITING, AND INCREDIBLY REAL. WE ARE GOING TO LEARN SO MUCH COMING OUT OF THIS TRIP. WE WILL HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ANSWERED, BUT THERE MIGHT BE QUESTIONS THAT COME OUT OF IT AS WELL. CODY: IT IS YOU AND TWO OTHER PEOPLE AS PART OF THIS DELEGATION. WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO LEARN? KATHERINE: THIS IS AN UNPARALLELED OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO GET A LOOK AT ALL OF THE FUNCTIONAL AREAS AROUND THE WORLD CUP. WE WILL VISIT STADIUMS, WE WILL VISIT THE ACCREDITATION CENTER, WE WILL VISIT WHERE VOLUNTEERS ARE MANAGED, WE WILL VISIT THE INTERNATIONAL BROADCAST CENTER. WE WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO SEE EVERYTHING FROM AN INSIDERS PERSPECTIVE THAT WE NEED TO PREPARE FOR 2026. CODY: WE KNOW THE WORLD CUP WILL HAVE AN EXPANDED FIELD OF TEAMS IN 2026. THAT HAS TO BE GREAT FOR US. HAVE YOU GOTTEN A SENSE OF HOW MANY MATCHES KANSAS CITY WILL HOST? KATHERINE: WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN TOLD WE CAN EXPECT TO HOST BETWEEN FIVE AND SEVEN MATCHES, WHICH IS THE EQUIVALENT OF FIVE TO SEVEN SUPER BOWLS. WE ARE HOPEFUL WE MIGHT GET QUARTERFINAL ROUNDS, EVEN THE SIZE OF ARROWHEAD AND OUR CENTRAL LOCATION. THAT WOULD BE AN INCREDIBLE THING FOR US TO ACHIEVE. I THINK WE MIGHT KNOW THE SCHEDULE BY END OF NEXT YEAR. AGAIN, HOPEFULLY COMING OUT OF THIS TRIP WE MIGHT HAVE MORE INSIGHT AS TO WHEN THAT MATCH SCHEDULE WILL BE FINALIZED. CODY: WE KNOW WE STILL HAVE A LITTLE WAYS TO GO. WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN KANSAS CITY? WHAT IS GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES HERE? KATHERINE: WE ARE WORKING UP -- WORKING ON SETTING UP A BUSINESS ENTITY THAT WILL BE ESTABLISHED TO RUN THIS PROJECT. THEN WE WILL HAVE TO STAFF UP. WE HAVE SOME EARLY PLANS WE NEED TO WORK THROUGH NEXT YEAR. WE NEED TO START THINKING ABOUT TRANSPORTATION AND WHAT THAT IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE IN 2026. FIFA FAN FEST. IT CERTAINLY IS NOT LOST ON US THAT WHEN WE GET BACK FROM THE STRIP IN 2023 WE NEED TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING. CODY: YOU MENTIONED FANS. IT HAS BEEN SO GREAT TO SEE KANSAS CITY ON THE WORLD STAGE, SEE THE FAN EXCITEMENT SO HIGH. WHEN DO TICKETS GO ON SALE FOR THE GAMES IN KANSAS CITY? IS IT TOO EARLY TO TELL? KATHERINE: IT IS WAY TOO EARLY. THAT PROCESS WILL BE CONTROLLED BY FIFA. I WILL NOT EXPECT TICKETS BE RELEASED UNTIL PROBABLY, MINIMUM OF NINE MONTHS OUT OF THE MATCHES IN 2026. WE HAVE THE UNDERSTANDING THEY WILL BE PRICING ACCORDING TO MARKET, SO THEY WILL LOOK AT KANSAS CITY, WE HAVE SENT THEM A TON OF INFORMATION FOR THEM TO REVIEW WITH RESPECT TO HOW SPORTING KANSAS CITY TICKETS ARE PRIZED, HOW THE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS TICKETS ARE PRICED. THEY ARE AGGREGATING THAT INFORMATION ACROSS MARKETS TO COME UP WITH A GOOD STRATEGY THAT WILL BE SUPPORTED IN EACH HOST CITY. CODY: FIVE TO SEVEN MATCHES, I MEAN THESE ARE GIGANTIC MATCHES. IT IS LIKE HAVING THE SUPER BOWL AT ARROWHEAD FIVE TO SEVEN TIMES . JUST THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND GETTING EVERYTHING AROUND THAT, THAT IS A MONUMENTAL TASK. KATHERINE: WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AWARDED HOST SUIT -- HOST CITY DUTIES IF WE DID NOT HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE, IF WE DID NOT HAVE THE NUMBER OF HOTEL ROOMS, IF WE HAD NOT PUT TOGETHER A TRANSPORTATION PLAN FOR THEM. CERTAINLY SMART INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT HAPPENS AS A RESULT OF US BEING AWARDED THE WORLD CUP, THAT IS GREAT. WHAT, AGAIN, FIFA IS CONSCIOUS OF THE FACT THEY DID NOT AWARD ANY HOST CITY DUTIES TO CITIES WHO WERE NOT CURRENTLY IN A POSITION TO HOST THE EVENT. CODY: WE TALKED ABOUT SEEING THE BIG WATCH PARTIES AT POWER & LIGHT. HOST TO SO MANY FANS ROOTING FOR THE U.S. AND MEXICO. WE SEE MORE OF THE SAME HERE? ARE WE GOING TO SEE MULTIPLE KINDS OF POWER & LIGHT’S TRICKS AROUND THE METRO? IS THAT THE PLAN? KATHERINE: POSSIBLY. WE ARE WORKING ON A PLAN FOR FIFA FANFEST. HISTORICALLY A AND FEST HAS BEEN ONE GIANT SPACE THAT HAS BEEN SECURED -- A FANFEST HAS BEEN ONE GIANT SPACE THAT HAS BEEN SECURED. THERE ARE AREAS TO DRAW FANS IN AND GIVE FANS THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE AREAS OF OUR CITY. CODY: WE ARE EXCITED. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR TRIP. WE WILL TALK ONCE YOU GET BACK. KATHERINE: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. CODY: COUNT ON KMBC 9 AS KANSAS CITY PREPARES FOR WORLD CUP PLAY. WE WILL BE THERE EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. WE WIL