An estimated 650,000 visitors are expected to visit northeast Kansas and Kansas City in June and July, and businesses and the city are working to attract those visitors to Eudora.
The 2026 World Cup is coming to the United States, Canada and Mexico, with Kansas City set to host six matches from June 16 to July 11. FIFA World Cup KC estimated that communities within a 200-mile radius will see an influx in tourism, according to previous reporting,
Jason Musick, owner of Barbwire Barbecue and a Conventions and Visitors Bureau member, said his business is waiting on what team, if any, decides to stay in Lawrence.
“I think that’s going to be the big key,” Musick said. “I know the Netherlands, England, Argentina are probably all going to Kansas City, so I think we’ll have all people in our area in that. I think someone maybe said Algeria.”
FIFA highlighted Lawrence as a potential base camp for countries playing in the tournament, but final camp assignments will be released by the end of January. If a team chooses Lawrence, they will stay at the Oread Hotel and practice at Rock Chalk Park, according to Lawrence2026.com.
Musick said Barbwire will look at having some menu items and descriptors in the native language of the team staying in Lawrence. He said they don’t plan on changing payment processes, but will focus on the Cup schedule when it releases.
“Once we see some schedules, we’ll know when the games are going to happen,” Musick said. “I think that’s what we’ll be leaning on, whether it’s happy hour or drink specials, just making sure the TVs are on the game.”
Musick said the CVB is working on making Eudora more welcoming, and that the fireworks show on the Fourth of July is an attraction not found in Lawrence.
“I think people who are visiting out of the town and country would be interested in seeing some fireworks blow up,” Musick said. “We’re focusing on that because it’s something unique and visitors won’t have everywhere else.”
City Manager Zack Daniel said the city’s strategy to attract tourists to Eudora involves working on highlighting the Main Street Market, annual CPA Picnic and the Fourth of July celebration.
“Those are already on the books, so we think our best value is not to put a lot of effort into new events but to pour a lot more resources, effort and time to strengthen the events we already have going on,” Daniel said.
Daniel said the city, Chamber of Commerce and Conventions and Visitors Bureau are working to improve and market the events that showcase small-town experiences not available in Lawrence or Kansas City.
“Those teams bring a lot of people and infrastructure with them, and everything we’re hearing at the state level, these international visitors are going to need something to do, and they like to participate in historic Americana events, and we’re in a good spot and got a lot of community partners that sounds like these visitors will be interested in participating in,” Daniel said.
Many visitors to the area won’t have private transportation, and Daniel said the city is having conversations to see where visitors would stop in Eudora via public transportation.
Daniel said the City Commission will address short-term rentals, such as Airbnbs, in a meeting in the coming months.
“That is a conversation we will have at the City Commission level for improvements and changes to our city code so we have a better sense of how many are out there, making sure they are operating safely and are in the right zone,” Daniel said.
Zeb’s Coffeehouse Owner Kathy Weld said they aren’t changing anything for the World Cup season, but joined a mobile vendor list from the Douglas County Food Policy Council’s economic development working group after they asked her if she wanted to register her coffee cart.
“I just don’t know how it’s going to impact us,” Weld said. “I just don’t see how it’s going to have an impact on us because I don’t expect there to be a different demand for what we offer. I don’t know if people will leave Lawrence to come to Eudora to get coffee.”
Weld said she doesn’t know how many visitors will visit Eudora. She said they don’t normally get much traffic from customers who are visiting Lawrence.
“If we have out-of-town people, it’s people that are driving somewhere or staying in Eudora,” Weld said.
Prior discussions about international visitors have noted the importance of how they may pay for items, such as whether they will have a credit card or foreign currency.
Grant High, assistant vice president of Farmers State Bank, said the bank doesn’t stock foreign currency, and would have to go through a correspondent bank to receive it.
High said customers should bring their debit card and withdraw U.S. currency from the ATM, rather than bringing physical foreign currency to the States. He said the bank recommends travelers from the U.S. take their debit cards to foreign countries and withdraw from ATMs there as long as the country they are visiting is not on a restricted list.
“My understanding from reading bank-related literature is that the exchange rate is actually the best at the ATM, even though you’ll have applicable fees,” High said.
High said customers should be aware that ATMs run on networks, so as long as the customer’s bank is connected to the ATM network, they should be able to withdraw.
“We have five ATM networks we participate in,” High said. “It just depends on the bank.”
Businesses that deal with cash only may struggle more than those that accept credit cards to keep up with physical demand, High said.
Superintendent Stu Moeckel said the district has had initial meetings with county economic development officials, but hasn’t been asked for any specific help, such as buses to help with public transportation.
Moeckel said the county is still waiting on information before finalizing how the district could help.
“We don’t know what they’ll need from us, but we’ll be prepared with what we can as a district,” Moeckel said. “There haven’t been any asks for the district yet, and we’re hoping to be of service as we can.”
Reach reporter Michael Glenn at [email protected].
