Why did Kansas City’s World Cup director suddenly quit? And she’s not the only one

Two years before the World Cup descends upon Kansas City, the executive director of the planning organization for the tournament has quit the project, The Star has learned.

She’s not the only one, either.

Katherine Holland, who served as both the director of Kansas City’s World Cup bid and then later the entity (KC2026) tasked with executing the blueprint, resigned from her job last week, multiple sources told The Star. Although she offered to stay with KC2026 during a transitional period to an eventual successor, her resignation was accepted as effective immediately, sources said.

At a time of perpetual urgency for the biggest event in Kansas City history, it is a jolting, if not stunning, shakeup.

Except to those on the inside.

Rather than a sudden surprise, they describe it as a predictable finale after a series of changes to the job.

Holland said she did not want to publicly comment on her departure, which the organization has not publicly announced. But The Star did speak to roughly half of the 17-member board of directors and executive committee.

Well, formerly 17. Brian Platt, the city manager for KC, also recently quit his position on the board of directors, he confirmed to The Star. He declined to elaborate, but those who spoke with us pointed to his resignation as evidence that more than one person could relate to the perceived reason for Holland’s departure:

A lack of desired influence.

Holland served as the point of contact for FIFA officials for years and is the only executive director the group has had since its 2023 inception. She assumed that position in May 2023, and she was also previously the director of the bid itself, which concluded with Kansas City being named one of 11 American host cities for the World Cup.

Kansas City, a city that fancies an ability to punch above its weight as a defining characteristic, is the smallest U.S. metropolitan area awarded World Cup matches for 2026. KC will play host to a quarterfinal game, too.

Five people inside the organization, though, told The Star that while Holland was named the executive director of KC2026, the title carried more weight than her voice did — and their speculation is that’s what prompted her resignation last week.

“They gave her the job, but you could tell pretty early on they didn’t really want her in charge,” one member of the board of directors said. “Maybe they didn’t think she was the right fit for the job, I don’t know, but it was never really her doing the job as it was initially described.”

Holland reported to a five-member executive committee that oversees all elements of KC2026, with Karen Daniel, a retired chief financial officer of Black & Veatch, as its president. That committee also includes Jake Reid, Sporting KC team president; Neal Sharma, former CEO at DEG; Kathy Nelson, president and CEO at the Kansas City Sports Commission and Visit KC; and Esther George, the former president and CEO at Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

Shortly after starting her role, Holland was told the executive committee would meet without her, multiple people said.

Then, earlier this year, she was given a title change that included a salary reduction, a move that surprised some members on the board, who said they requested more information about the decision.

Within that time, KC2026 tabbed Pam Kramer as its chief operating officer. Kramer is widely expected to receive Holland’s former job.

Several have expressed confidence in Kramer. A portion — emphasis on portion, not all — did so while also stressing the need to pick up the pace just two years shy of the global tournament and its wave of fans and teams landing in Kansas City.

It’s not as pertinent to get into the back-and-forth of the disagreement on the pace of work toward the World Cup as it is to point out its existence — because several who spoke to The Star adamantly disagree they are falling behind in any manner. While some say KC2026 should have a more concrete transportation plan by now, others describe the tasks as on-schedule and full steam ahead.

You get the idea.

You can’t ignore the political representation on the group in this conversation. Between the five-member executive committee — and more apparently throughout its extensive board of directors — there are an array of voices representing different sectors of the metro. Those groups, combined, include state senators on both sides of the state line, politicos from three counties and two cities, and representatives from three professional sports teams in Kansas City.

You also probably can’t ignore the financial contributions in this conversation. The state of Missouri has promised $50 million, with $28 million from Kansas, $15 million from Kansas City, Missouri, and recently $1.5 million from Johnson County, in addition to other public and private funding.

We only need to backtrack a couple of months — to two pro sports teams, the Chiefs and Royals, attempting to secure funding for their stadium proposals — for a reminder of the difficulty, to put it lightly, in reaching complete harmony when a group is that expansive and the finances are that significant.

The irony here is that during its bid to land the World Cup, Kansas City delivered a theme to FIFA that proved effective:

Unity.

The makeup of the board, underneath the umbrella of the executive committee, certainly includes those accustomed to steering the ship.

A year ago, Holland did recommend three specific hires that would have placed separate individuals in charge of transportation, community engagement and public relations/marketing. Some said the group did not have a budget for that, and others took it as an early sign that Holland would not have the autonomy to make such decisions. This month, the group added Julie Lorenz as a senior advisor for transportation.

That’s certainly in the weeds on all of this, but that’s the point in mentioning it: If you talk to enough of those on the board, or serving on the executive committee, you’ll find plenty of opinions.

“There is a phenomenal board that has the capacity and capability to assist in meaningful way, and the executive committee is not getting the full depth and breadth of what’s available to them,” one said.

That sentiment, to underscore once more, is not shared by all. Several, in fact, expressed an ahead-of-schedule, smooth operation that has made “significant progress,” including the securing of three KC-area sites (including Lawrence) among the initial 24 options for team base camps. Those camps, by the way, are seen as the biggest financial driver of the tournament.

During a conversation most specifically about transportation and the city’s still-to-be-announced World Cup Fan Fest site, a FIFA official told The Star he does not think Kansas City is lagging behind other host cities.

But there is one area in which everyone is aligned: There is much to be done, as expected, on a project unlike any that Kansas City has experienced in its history.

And one fewer person shouldering the load.

The Star’s Blair Kerkhoff contributed reporting to this story.