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World Cup’s Final Whistle

That was fast.

After six matches and a month of global attention, Kansas City’s World Cup run has come to an end.

Here’s what’s happening this week:

The Big Dismantling: The teardown is already underway at the FIFA Fan Fest next to the National World War I Museum and Memorial, and beginning today, crews at Arrowhead start converting “Kansas City Stadium” back into Chiefs Kingdom.

Out goes the soccer pitch. Back go the more than 3,000 seats removed to make room for FIFA’s wider field. The Chief’s first pre-season game is just a month away.

But there are still a few World Cup footprints left behind.

The Semi-Finals: Two of Kansas City’s four base-camp teams are still competing for soccer’s biggest prize. England and Argentina square off in Wednesday’s semifinal in Atlanta at 2 p.m.  

The other semifinal, Spain versus France, kicks off Tuesday at 2 p.m. in Dallas.

Crowning World Cup Champion: On Sunday, the winner of the World Cup will be decided in the championship final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, complete with another World Cup first: a halftime show. Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira and BTS are set to perform, with even a few Sesame Street characters reportedly joining the festivities. Kick Off 2:00 p.m.

The Future: Think you’ll miss the World Cup? Kansas City is already looking ahead.

The city is pursuing bids for the 2031 Women’s World Cup and the 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup. If the bids are successful, they’d be the last big events at Arrowhead Stadium before the Chiefs vacate the building for its new home in Kansas.

And don’t rule out another men’s World Cup, either…

The United States has already signaled interest in hosting again in 2038. By then, the tournament could have expanded from 48 to 64 teams.

Was one World Cup enough…or are you ready for an encore?

Last Week Reviewed

Royals Take an All-Star Timeout

As the World Cup takes its final bow, baseball is stepping into the spotlight.

The Royals and the rest of Major League Baseball are taking a midsummer break ahead of Tuesday night’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia.

Despite a disappointing season, two Royals players are on the squad. Bobby Witt Jr. is making his third consecutive appearance in the Midsummer Classic, while right-hander Michael Wacha has been named to the American League roster as a reserve.

The All-Star festivities get underway tonight with the Home Run Derby. Royals slugger Jac Caglianone is making his first appearance in the league’s power hitting event.

The Kansas City Royals won’t resume play until Friday when they kick off a home series against the San Diego Padres.

Costco Clash

Turns out data centers aren’t the only projects capable of filling public meetings with unhappy residents. Apparently, so can “messing” with your local Costco store.

This week, the Kansas City Plan Commission takes up Costco’s proposal to convert its Midtown store on Main Street into a business center.

The public will have a chance to weigh in during Wednesday’s hearing — “conveniently scheduled -wink, wink” for 9 a.m. on the 10th floor of City Hall.

Whether public opposition changes anything is another question.

A Costco representative was blunt last week: if the conversion isn’t approved, the store will close altogether.

Ahead of the meeting, Costco has released more details about its plans. A business center would operate with less than half the current staff and cater primarily to commercial customers.

It would also mean saying goodbye to many of the things shoppers now expect: no pharmacy, no optical department, no tire center, no electronics, no clothing, no bakery, no liquor, no food court and — perhaps most devastating of all — no famous $1.50 hot dog combo or rotisserie chickens. The gas station will stay.

Kelly Pushed to End Death Penalty

A coalition of more than 50 faith leaders will descend on the Kansas Statehouse this week, urging Gov. Laura Kelly to commute the sentences of the state’s nine death row inmates.

With just a few months left in office, the Democratic governor is being pressured to put an official pause on capital punishment by declaring a moratorium on future executions.

Supporters say it would be a consequential final act for a governor who has long called the death penalty “impractical, expensive and inhumane” and argued that life without parole is the harsher punishment.

Kansas reinstated capital punishment in 1994. Yet, more than 30 years later, the state has never carried out an execution.

Countdown to Election Day

Advance voting begins in Kansas on Saturday, ahead of the Aug. 4th primary election.

Voters in Missouri and Kansas are making some big decisions. Depending on your ZIP code you could be voting on as many nine issue questions, from killing state income taxes to directly electing state supreme court judges.

That’s on top of high-stakes races for Congress and, in Kansas, contests for governor and the U.S. Senate.

If you haven’t registered to vote, the clock is ticking. Missouri’s registration deadline has already passed. But if you live In Kansas, prospective voters have until the close of business Tuesday to get signed up.

The good news? You can register online through the state’s voter registration portal.

Stamps on the Rise … Again

The price of sending a letter is going up — again.

Starting today, a first-class stamp will cost 82 cents, a 4-cent increase that marks the sixth postal rate hike in just three years.

The U.S. Postal Service says the higher prices are needed as it navigates financial challenges. But Postmaster General David Steiner says, even after the increase, American postage remains a bargain compared with much of the world, where mailing a letter can cost $2 or more.

‘Big Ass’ Concert Takes Over The K

With the Royals away for the All-Star break, the music world is stepping up to the plate at Kauffman Stadium.

Post Malone and Jelly Roll bring their “BIG ASS Stadium Tour” to The K on Wednesday night.

And they’re hardly the only headliners in town.

• John Mellencamp, Jason Aldean and Tyler Childers all make Kansas City stops this week, headlining shows at the new Morton Amphitheater.
• The Fray, the band behind “How to Save a Life,” plays Starlight Theatre on Tuesday.
• And legendary singer-songwriter Graham Nash — one-fourth of the supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young — performs Tuesday night at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

5 More Things to Watch, See, and Do in KC

• The Kansas City Fringe Festival kicks off Thursday, launching 11 days of boundary-pushing theater, music, dance and comedy at multiple venues across the metro.
• The Festival of Butterflies returns to Powell Gardens on Thursday.
• The fourth annual Zona Rosa Summer Fest takes over the Northland on Saturday, turning the outdoor shopping district into one giant block party with music, games and family activities.
• On Sunday, The Big Picnic returns to the lawn of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The free event features live music, food and games from 4 to 8 p.m.
• World Cup Watch Parties:The FIFA Fan Fest may be over, but there are still plenty of places to catch the World Cup’s final act. Sporting KC, the Power & Light District and Shawnee Mission Park are all hosting free watch parties for this week’s semifinal matches and Sunday’s championship game.

Nick Haines tracks the metro’s most impactful, confusing and downright head-scratching local news stories on Week in Review, Friday nights at 7:30 pm on Kansas City PBS.