“GOOOOOOOAL!!!”
That was the unmistakable shout of legendary World Cup announcer Andres Cantor every time a team scored.
Now a victory cheer just as joyous is rising up from bars and restaurants across Missouri and Kansas as state legislators take their own shot on goal to help the city celebrate the 2026 World Cup in nearly round-the-clock style.
New bills by both states will allow any establishment serving liquor in any city in Kansas or Missouri to stay open 23 hours a day 7 days a week from June 11 through July 19 during the six soccer matches being played at Arrowhead. No special permits or licenses required. Missouri passed its bill, Kansas is still thinking on it.
Missouri moved first on January 23, 2025 when three Missouri Republican state representatives sponsored their version of the bill, HB1041. Governor Mike Kehoe signed it into law on July 10.
Kansas introduced a similar bill on January 27 this year, sponsored by Kansas Republican Senator Adam Thomas. “Ours is different, because there are different statutes, and it’s a different state,” Thomas told Kansas City magazine. “But yeah, we modeled it after the Missouri legislation.”
Thomas brings first-hand hospitality experience to the issue.
A lifelong soccer fan who played in his youth and never misses a World Cup match, Thomas spent more than two decades in the restaurant industry. In 2018, he decided to run for office and was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives where he served until his election to the Kansas Senate in 2024. “When the conversation about extended hours started, we wanted to include restaurant owners and guys like myself who’d been in the industry for years.”
O’Dowd’s on The Plaza, where Thomas worked, would close at 3 am, he said, and he and a few of the staff would sometimes stick around cleaning up and prepping for the next day until 6 am. “So this (new rule) will not be a huge change for some of these places that will opt into it,” Thomas says.
Like Missouri’s law, the Kansas proposal allows cities and businesses to opt out of the 23/7 setup. Moberly and Odessa have already done so. Lee’s Summit partially opted out, allowing a 21 hour service day and requiring a permit. “We’re not going to say you absolutely have to stay open the whole time, but it gives folks the option,” Thomas says. “And I think options are good. If you don’t want to be open, don’t be open.”
Momentum on the bill has slowed in Kansas. It was moved to another committee on February 10 where it sits idle today. “I’m confident that we’re going to get a hearing on the bill,” Thomas says. “I think we still have a shot at passing it. But time’s a-wastin’. We have a short legislative session this year (it ends May 15). So we’re going to run out of time pretty quickly. But I’ll keep on it.”
If (and likely, when) Kansas passes its version, the entire metro could lean into a rare moment of international spotlight with near non-stop celebrations for six weeks. The party might not just go into overtime during those weeks—it could practically never end.
