KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Thirty years ago, Pam Kramer was a rising star executive leading high-profile campaigns for Kansas City-based Sprint — and not all that familiar with soccer.

“I didn’t know much about the World Cup — and it was Sprint’s really big, first global sponsorship — so I had the opportunity to travel to all nine U.S. host cities (and) saw every U.S. team match” Kramer said Wednesday during an interview at Visit KC’s downtown office. “It was extraordinary — the celebration, the excitement, the enthusiasm. Even in cities like LA and New York, you could feel that the World Cup was there.”

Now, Kramer serves as CEO of KC2026 — the nonprofit tasked with preparing Kansas City to step into the World Cup spotlight in 18 months as the host of six World Cup games, including a quarterfinal, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

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“We have really strong momentum, and it’s built on the team, right?” said Kramer, who took the KC2026 reins in mid-July. “We’ve gone from a staff of two to a staff of 11 — and a few more starting after the first of the year — and they’re really high-achieving, high-performing people in transportation and marketing and safety and security.”

Of course, Kramer and the KC2026 team is tasked with more than organizing a month-long series of events, including the Fan Fest that was announced in August, and moving people around the region.

City and soccer officials have promised a transformational experience for the region.

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“When you hear legacy, you think sticks and bricks — Centennial Park, something like that in Atlanta,” Kramer said. “For us, legacy is more about sustained and long-term impact. … That could end up being some sort of physical project or idea. But for us, legacy is more about creating capacity, building workforce, teaching people how to operate or showing that we can operate regionally, and creating a blueprint for how to do that.”

Kramer said she’s well aware that any decisions KC2026 make also have to work for Kansas City’s residents.

“The transportation plan starts with the people who are already here,” she said. “We want people not only to be able to get to work and do the things that they typically do, but also to engage with the World Cup.”

Kramer said Kansas City will be the first host city to announce its bus procurement next month, a huge step with FIFA and the other host cities also likely to be searching for buses ahead of the World Cup.

“We’ll more than double the capacity that we currently have in the city,” she said. “We’re going to be the first host city to go to market with our bus procurement, so certainly leading in that way.”

RELATED | Fan parking at Arrowhead may be nixed for World Cup

KC2026 also announced a plan for FIFA Fan Fest four months ago, so the organization has hit some major milestones thanks to “universal support” from local and state officials across Missouri and Kansas.

But Kramer said now is not the time to take her foot off the gas.

“We are far better prepared because of that universal support, both from a funding standpoint and preparation standpoint, but we still have a lot to do,” she said. “I mean — 539 days — I feel like we’re leading the host cities in many areas, but I would never say there’s not more work to do.”

With a chance to welcome the world, Kramer is also confident Kansas City will rise to meet and embrace the moment.

“It’s hard to watch the World Cup and not become a soccer fan and not get swept up in the enthusiasm,” she said. “I saw Brazil play and their fans were so joyful.”

World Cup qualifying will continue until March 2026

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KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County. Share your story idea with Tod.

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks are back at Allen Fieldhouse this Sunday afternoon to take on the Brown Bears in what promises to be an exciting matchup.

Kansas (8-2) is looking to build momentum after a commanding bounce-back victory over NC State, while Brown enters the contest riding high on a six-game win streak.

The Bears, representing the Ivy League, hold a 7-3 record and are currently third in their conference standings. Their recent stretch of success will be tested as they take on a Kansas team with a rich a roaring home-court advantage.

This will be the third meeting between the Jayhawks and the Bears. The teams last faced off in 1997, with Kansas securing a dominant 107-49 victory. The only other encounter dates back to 1989, when the Jayhawks claimed another lopsided win, 115-45.

Where: Allen Fieldhouse
When: Sunday, 2 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN
Streaming: FUBO TV, YouTube TV

The Jayhawks will look to maintain their strong start to the season and add another win to their record, while the Bears aim to extend their streak against a tough Big 12 opponent.

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Drake basketball player Bennett Stirtz broke the hearts of the team he grew up rooting for on Tuesday night.

Stirtz’s 3-pointer with 4 seconds left in overtime gave the Bulldogs a 73-70 victory over the Wildcats at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.

Stirtz, a native of Liberty, Mo., and a lifelong K-State fan, scored 22 points to help Drake improve to 10-0. The Bulldogs are receiving votes in the national polls and turning heads in coach Ben McCollum’s first season at the helm.

Stirtz scored eight of Drake’s 10 points in overtime.

“It had everything to do with their toughness and their will to win,” McCollum said of the victory. “To Bennett specifically, I’ve had a lot of good guards, and I remember each of their ‘We’re not going to lose this game’ moments, and that was one of those moments. That says a lot about him and that says a lot about his teammates to trust him to be able to do that.”

Drake’s Mitch Mascari led all scorers with 25 points and went 8-for-10 from three-point range. Stirtz was next with 22 to go along with four assists, two rebounds and three steals. Cam Manyawu was the other Bulldog in double figures with 11 points and seven rebounds.

Mascari was 6-for-6 from 3-point distance in the first half.

The Bulldogs have crafted an impressive resume in non-conference play, beating Miami (Fla.), Vanderbilt and now Kansas State.

Drake is one of four Division I teams still undefeated (Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee are the others). The Bulldogs improved to 5-0 in games played away from home (4-0 neutral site, 1-0 road).

Drake will play host to Green Bay at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Knapp Center.

The Drake sports information department contributed to this report.