Mayor Lucas Addresses Sports Diplomacy, Meets FIFA Task Force Head Before World Cup Draw

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas today delivered a speech at the Atlantic Council Forum in Washington, D.C. He spoke to Kansas City's role as a FIFA World Cup host city, highlighting the transcendent power of sport to bring people together.

"The day that we were named as a World Cup host city, I jumped about 10 feet high in celebration," said Mayor Lucas. "I did that embracing political figures from across the political aisle, and so many others. That work continues to this day. As we have looked to secure funding, we have seen commonalities and relationships that don't exist regularly in American politics, and I think foundationally, it shows the power of the World Cup and it shows the power of sports."

Following the speech, Mayor Lucas spent time with Andrew Giuliani, the head of the White House FIFA World Cup 2026 Task Force, discussing what Kansas City needs to succeed as a host city.

The mayor was invited to speak at the Atlantic Council by Ambassador Rama Yade, the Senior Director of its Africa Center and Senior Fellow of its Europe Center. He traveled to Washington to meet with FIFA officials, representatives from other host cities, and federal partners ahead of the FIFA Final Draw for the 2026 World Cup.

Watch Mayor Lucas's full speech here (Time Code - 2:03:16-2:11:17).