With the Major League Soccer season paused until July 16 -- when Sporting Kansas City visits rivals St. Louis CITY SC -- today begins the official preparation period for this summer's World Cup with FIFA's mandatory release of players from clubs across the globe to join their respective national teams.Â
FIFA World Cup 26 will be played from June 11 to July 19 with six matches taking place at Kansas City Stadium on June 16 (Argentina-Algeria), June 20 (Ecuador-Curacao), June 25 (Tunisia-Netherlands), June 27 (Algeria-Austria), July 3 (Round of 32) and July 11 (Quarterfinal). In addition, four countries (Algeria, Argentina, England and Netherlands) have selected the region for their team base camp and both soccer-specific stadiums in KC will be utilized as venue-specific training sites for national teams in the tournament.
Sporting Kansas City co-owner Cliff Illig is co-chair of the KC2026 Board of Directors, while Sporting Kansas City President and CEO Jake Reid serves as Vice President. Sporting Kansas City was announced by KC2026 as an official Host City Supporter last week and the club will activate at FIFA Fan Festival at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in addition to hosting Soccer Capital Summer at Sporting Park.
UP TO 50% OFF AT MLSSTORE.COM ENDS TONIGHT
Fans can take advantage of up to 50% off savings on orders at MLSstore.com until 10:59 p.m. CT on Monday with the code FREEDOM (terms and exclusions apply), including hundreds of  Sporting Kansas City items in youth, men's and women's sizes including the new Americana pre-match jersey.
SPORTING KC YOUTH SOCCER CAMP THIS WEEK
Sporting KC will host a four-day youth soccer camp for boys and girls of all skill levels between the ages of 5-14 years old beginning on Tuesday at Johnson County Community College (12345 College Blvd.) in Overland Park, Kansas. Registration is available online at SportingKCYouth.com and includes an official Sporting KC camp t-shirt.
SPORTING CITY TEAMS COMPETE AT MLS NEXT CUP
Two Sporting City teams will compete in the Academy bracket at the 2026 MLS NEXT Cupthis week at the Salt Lake Regional Athletic Complex. The Sporting City U16's will play Club Ohio at 3:45 p.m. CT on Tuesday in the quarterfinals while the U17's will take Syracuse Development Academy at 9 a.m. CT on Wendesday in the quarterfinals.Â
SPORTING CITY ID SESSIONS AND PRE-TRYOUT CAMPS
Sporting City will host ID Sessions this week for players interested in the club's Girls Academy Aspire (Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at Central Bank Sporting Complex and Swope Soccer Village) and National Academy League (Wednesday and Thursday at Central Bank Sporting Complex) teams. In addition, the club's East (Swope Soccer Village), North (Central Bank Sporting Complex) and West (Compass Minerals Sporting Fields) regions will host Pre-Tryout Camps on Wednesday and Thursday. Registration is open online at SportingCitySoccer.com.
20% OFF SAVINGS AT SEATGEEK ENDS TUESDAY
Fans can receive 20% off tickets at SeatGeek - including Sporting Kansas City matches  -- up to a maximum of $25 through Tuesday by using the code MEMORIAL26 at checkout. Sporting Kansas City's next home match is Wednesday, July 22 in a Western Conference match-up with Minnesota United FC as the club celebrates the Soccer Capital of America at Sporting Park.
SPORTING STYLE AT CENTRAL BANK BRANCHES
Central Bank, which has launched a limited-edition Soccer Capital of America®  debit card, is teaming up with Sporting Style for pop-up shops inside 11 different branches, including the Lee's Summit (609 NE 291 Hwy.) branch on Friday and the Overland Park (15100 Metcalf Ave.) branch on Saturday, for fans to browse exclusive Soccer Capital of America® merchandise from jerseys and hats to scarves and collectibles. Visit SoccerCapitalKC.com for upcoming pop-up dates and locations.
SPORTING KC II AT REAL MONARCHS ON FRIDAY
Sporting Kansas City II will continue the MLS NEXT Pro campaign on the road at the Real Monarchs at 9 p.m. CT on Friday at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah. Fans can stream the Western Conference match-up live on MLSNEXTPro.com or follow @SportingKCII on X for updates.
NEW SESSION OF SPORTING STRIPES/STARS ON SATURDAY
New four-week sessions of Sporting Stripes and  Sporting Stars, early childhood soccer programs for 2-8 year olds, will start on Saturday morning at Central Bank Sporting Complex (9101 N. Line Creek Pkwy.) in Kansas City, Mo. For more information, visit  SportingKCYouth.com.
KICKOFF TO THE CUP AT PRICE CHOPPER ON SATURDAY
Sporting KC and Price Chopper will launch "Kickoff to the Cup" -- a series of neighborhood World Cup celebrations across the Kansas City metro -- from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday at the Price Chopper )937 NE Woods Chapel Rd.) in Lee's Summit, Mo. The free, family-friendly event will feature food and beverage sampling, giveaways, music and interactive entertainment.
NO OTHER PUB WATCH PARTIES THIS WEEKEND
No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light District will host a pair of Soccer in the City watch parties this weekend. Doors will open at 6 p.m. on Saturday for Mexico vs. Australia and doors will open at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday for the United States vs. Senegal.
