I was so excited to hear the news that Kansas City was selected to host games in the 2026 FIFA World Cup—the most prestigious and widely viewed sporting event in the world. It just goes to show you that the Animal Health Corridor is fertile territory for the growth of the animal health industry, but it’s also a great place for growth, period.
In 2017, forty-one cities across the US, Canada and Mexico submitted bids to host matches. That list was culled to 23, then ultimately to the final 16. Kansas City was chosen over cities like Cincinnati, Denver and Nashville. Hundreds of millions of dollars will pour into the area as a result. It was not just luck that Kansas City was chosen. It’s the result of decades of hard work involving city, state and private entities across the region.
For example, the area has invested more than $600 million in soccer facilities in the last 15 years, a new $1.5 billion airport is now under construction and infrastructure improvements like expanded streetcar transportation will soon be a reality.
The exposure for our Corridor is going to be staggering. Stats from 2018 show 3.572 billion viewers watched games and 6.8 million tourists visited host cities. This is a huge win for a market the size of Kansas City and shows what can be achieved when an area teams together to achieve a goal.
In addition to the World Cup, the NFL Draft will be held in KC in 2023. In other words, good things are happening in Kansas City. Animal health has been closely tied to this city from the beginning. What started as a “cowtown” is now a leader in technology and innovation. Our animal health companies are a huge part of that growth and now it seems the rest of the world is taking notice.