Will Kansas City Chiefs stay at Arrowhead Stadium long-term? Here’s their preference
As the Royals consider options for their future home, so are their Truman Sports Complex neighbor: the Chiefs. And the team coming off a second Super Bowl victory in four years has an idea where it wants to be.
Chiefs president Mark Donovan said he was following the lead of CEO and chairman Clark Hunt, who prefers to stay put when the lease expires in 2031.
“If everything plays out the way we think it’s going to play out, our preference is to upgrade and renovate GEHA Field at Arrowhead,” Donovan said.
The Royals are expected to leave Kauffman Stadium and announce their location preference, downtown or Clay County, by the end of summer. They could be playing in a new ballpark by 2027 or 2028.
Donovan said upgrading Arrowhead is one of three options. The other two: building a new structure at the sports complex and building in a different location.
“All three of those options are still part of our dialogue,” Donovan said. “The good news is we think the building itself is actually structurally pretty sound. Having said that, it’s going to take a significant annual investment to keep that building structurally sound.”
The Chiefs and Royals have shared the sports complex since the early 1970s and part of the current lease agreement calls for a 3/8-cent sales tax that goes to the upkeep of both facilities. The Royals have said they want to continue that tax as part of the payment for a new stadium.
If the new stadium is downtown, in Jackson County, the sales tax would apply to both teams.
“If the Royals decide to stay in Jackson County we’ve had discussions about how we do that together,” Donovan said. “If they go, then we have to be ready to continue on that path or pivot. We’re pretty well prepared for whatever happens.”
There’s another stadium issue for the Chiefs ... the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Kansas City will host an undetermined amount of games.
Arrowhead will temporarily lose some seats to accommodate a larger soccer field. The Chiefs have said they won’t lose capacity for football seasons.
“We can’t sacrifice the football experience because we did some things for the World Cup,” Donovan said. “It’s a huge puzzle piece for our operations teams. It’s going to be a three- or four-year challenge.”
Camp tickets
Admission to the training camp is free for all but three days, but fans will need a ticket in advance to attend. They’re available at chiefs.com/tickets.
Donovan said about 80,000 tickets had been distributed by Friday.
