KC ranks among top 10 women's sports cities
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Current players celebrating. Photo: Amy Kontras/NWSL via Getty Images
Kansas City landed at No. 9 on The Athletic's new ranking of top women's sports cities, powered largely by the KC Current soccer team.
Why it matters: Kansas City is building something rare in American women's sports. A single team and its fan base helped turn the city into a national example of how investment, attendance and community buy-in can reshape women's athletics.
Zoom in: The Athletic credits KC's ranking to the Current's record-setting season and the impact of CPKC Stadium, the first purpose-built stadium for a women's pro soccer team in the world.
- The Current's owners funded an $18 million training facility and the majority of the $117 million stadium cost.
- Sellout crowds, the club's NWSL Shield win and the arrival of the city's first women's sports bar, The Dub, helped define the "vibes" behind the ranking.
State of play: The Current closed 2025 with a historic list of firsts, including NWSL records for wins, points, shutouts and a league-best defensive season.
- They also sold out every match for the second straight year.
- The team hosted major national events at CPKC Stadium and at T-Mobile Center, which will host the 2025 NCAA women's volleyball championship.
What they're saying: "Kansas City is proud to lead the way in investing in women's sports, women-built entertainment environments and supporting women and girls in succeeding both on the field and in the business of sports," Mayor Quinton Lucas tells Axios.
- "My only disappointment is that we were not first, but we all need something to strive for."
Zoom out: This is not the first time a national outlet has highlighted KC's emergence. The Washington Post's sports op-ed team ranked the city No. 3 among the top sports cities in America this year.
The bottom line: KC's women's sports footprint is still growing. With sustained investment, national attention and a fan base that keeps showing up, the city is building a foundation that is strengthening its reputation in the space.
Go deeper: Kansas City wants to be the women's sports capital