The 2026 men’s FIFA World Cup in Kansas City is four years away. But the details, like what happens to Arrowhead Stadium, are being hammered out now.
Chiefs president Mark Donovan said Monday that alterations needed for Arrowhead will be part of two-year construction plan.
The idea is to begin work on the stadium in the spring of 2025, and will involve removing seats. Those seats will be returned for the 2025 football season, and the process will be repeated in 2026 with soccer games being played in the summer.
Why conform Arrowhead in 2025? For FIFA inspection and the possibility of playing games.
“Our goal is make sure every single seat is replaced for every single season, so we don’t lose any (football) seats,” Donovan said. “It will be an enormous challenge for our operations and construction crews.”
Donovan said fewer than 10,000 seats will be temporarily removed from lower rows and the corners.
“It doesn’t seem like a big project, but I would tell you that when you get into the architecture of the building and the age of the building, it’s an enormous project,” Donovan said.
Could the Arrowhead construction mean some permanent changes for the stadium? Donovan didn’t rule out the possibility.
“There are scenarios where we would do something different for the World Cup and say, ‘Wait a second, if you’re renovating Arrowhead would you keep that or change this or take advantage of the construction you’ve already done?” Donovan said. “That’s in the mix.”
Kansas City and Arrowhead Stadium was one of 11 sites selected for games in the 2026 World Cup that will be also be played in Canada and Mexico. Some 17 U.S. cities were part of the bidding process.
In a tweet last month at the World Cup announcement, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas put a $50 million price tag on the stadium project and said the city would ask Missouri for funding in addition to private fundraising.
The World Cup, the globe’s largest sporting event, isn’t first on the list of big sports attractions coming to Kansas City and involving the Chiefs. The NFL Draft arrives in April 2023. NFL officials were in Kansas City a week ago meeting with the Chiefs and city leaders about the three-day event.
“The draft in ‘23 will be the largest event Kansas City has ever hosted,” Donovan said. “I gives a little hint about the trend we’re on ... Our goal is to shine the light on Kansas City.”
