This year is shaping up to one of opportunity for the Midwest state of Missouri, which will find itself at the centre of one of the USA’s major anniversary events and the world’s most-watched sporting tournament.
“People used to think of Missouri as a state that is out there somewhere, in the middle of the country, that you usually just fly over, but that all changes this year,” enthused David Ezra of KBC, of the Show Me State’s UK office.
“There are plenty of reasons to stop and visit in 2026 – from the 100th anniversary of Route 66 to Kansas City being a World Cup host. Last, but not least, a new series of the popular Ted Lasso series, which was partly filmed in Kansas City, will hit TV screens this year, showing off many city attractions.”
Speaking at Visit USA’s Meet the Media event on January 12, for which Missouri was the keynote sponsor, Ezra pointed out that 317 miles of Route 66 travel through the state, offering drivers on the Mother Road plenty of quirky attractions that show off “Americana” along the way.
“Springfield, Missouri, was the birthplace of Route 66 – although there were some wonderful wrangling and bureaucratic pettiness around how the road got named…but I will leave that for you to research,”, he said. *
Popular attractions on the state’s stretch of the road include the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the historic Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, Meramec Caverns, the murals in Cuba (the “Mural City”), nostalgic motels like the Wagon Wheel Motel, the Gilllioz Theatre in Springfield, and quirky spots like Uranus Fudge Factory.
There are also preserved historic Route 66 gas stations, such as two in Waynesville, the Downtown Service Station, known as one of the last full-service spots, and the historic Rigsby Station, with its vintage gas globes.
Kansas City is one of 16 host cities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico for matches at this summer’s World Cup (June 11-July 19), with games featuring World Cup holders Argentina, the Netherlands, Algeria, Paraguay and Curacao.
The city’s Arrowhead Stadium (renamed Kansas City Stadium for the tournament) – which holds the unofficial record as the “world’s loudest sports stadia” – will also stage a Round of 32 game and a quarter final match.
“There will be a fantastic atmosphere in the stadium and city, and, who knows, England, Scotland and perhaps even Northern Ireland might still end up there. A large fans zone is planned for outside the National World War One Memorial, which is an interesting attraction in its own right,” said Ezra.
“The KC Streetcar, a real, free-to-ride public transportation system that runs through the heart of Kansas City has just been extended and will be an easy way for fans to get around the downtown area.”
Also on a football scene, the fourth series of Ted Lasso filmed scenes in Kansas City during the summer of 2025, featuring local spots like the CPKC Stadium (pictured), which was built as the home of the Kansas City Current of the National Women’s Soccer League, Country Club Plaza and Gates Bar-B-Q.
While there is no official screening date set for the AppleTV+ series, there is speculation that the release might be timed to coincide with the World Cup.
British Airways begins a direct four-times-weekly service between London Heathrow and St. Louis on April 19.
*Route 66 was part of the new U.S. Highway System established in 1926. Naming a highway that ran through multiple states required agreement among state highway departments, which sometimes had competing priorities or wanted different numbers for their sections. Plus, parts of the highway were already locally known by other names.
Some states worried that a single number might diminish the identity of their local roads while early highway planners were concerned that assigning a catchy number like “66” might be seen as more of a marketing gimmick than a practical navigation tool. It was unusual at the time to have a road number that would become so culturally iconic.
