Chiefs are planning an $800 million renovation of Arrowhead Stadium after the 2026 World Cup

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs are planning an $800 million renovation of Arrowhead Stadium, the third-oldest stadium in the NFL, that will begin after the team hosts 2026 World Cup games and take about four years to complete.

The project is conditional on Three-eighths cent tax extended by voters In Jackson County, Missouri, on April 2. The money has been used to maintain the Truman Sports Complex in Arrowhead and adjacent Kauffman Stadium, which the Royals plan to leave for. New football stadium in the city centre Before the current lease expires after the 2030 season.

Chiefs Chairman Clark Hunt, whose family will contribute $300 million to the overall project, admitted: “We would not be willing to sign a lease for another 25 years without the necessary funding to properly renovate and redesign the stadium.” “So the financing puzzle is very important for us to make sure that we have enough funds to do everything we set out to do.”

the Scope of the renovation projectwhich was unveiled Wednesday during a news conference at Arrowhead, will touch every aspect of the 52-year-old building, from the seating bowl to the luxury amenities to the rear view.

There will be a new concourse designed to help provide players, VIPs and other distinguished guests with a better access point. New pedestrian bridges will help fans get from the parking lots to the stadium. There will be new bar boards, the video boards at each end will triple and quadruple in size, and the pavilions around the court will be renovated.

The two biggest changes to the stadium itself will come above and below it.

For the first time since the stadium was built in 1972, the Chiefs plan to build a 360-degree upper concourse, allowing fans to flow more easily around the stadium. It will also create more food stations, restrooms and merchandise areas, which should ease congestion elsewhere in the stadium.

In the end zones, the Chiefs plan to dig under the existing structure to create clubhouse spaces similar to those at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, where the Raiders play and the Chiefs recently won their third Super Bowl in the past five years.

“You sit at field level at Allegiant Stadium and see the incredible end zone array they have, and you say, ‘Wow,’” Chiefs president Mark Donovan said. “It's unfortunate that we can't do that.” “We found a way to do that, and not only bring you the best, newest buildings in the NFL, we put them inside iconic Arrowhead Stadium.”

Another big change will happen off the field, where the Chiefs envision a backfield built on the site of Kauffman Stadium. The covered area will provide a gathering space on match day but can also be used throughout the year for events.

The original plan for the Truman Sports Complex called for a rolling roof that could cover Arrowhead and Kauffman Stadiums, but the structure was never built. The Chiefs revisited the idea of ​​a roof over Arrowhead nearly two decades ago, when it underwent its last major renovation, but the public was skeptical of the project and the idea was eventually scrapped.

Although the roof could help Kansas City host the Super Bowl, Hunt said Wednesday that it was never seriously considered for this round of renovations — in fact, the team prefers to play outdoors amid the weather conditions.

“We definitely feel like it's a competitive advantage for us,” he said.