Chiefs Stadium – design description

How can the project for the new Kansas City Chiefs stadium be summarized?

The new stadium will mean a relocation for the Chiefs from Missouri to the neighboring state of Kansas… although in practice the team will move only 24 miles, from the eastern to the western suburbs of the Kansas City metropolitan area.

The authorities in Kansas made significant efforts to get the Chiefs “on their side”, offering substantial financial support – much needed for a $3 billion project (which will make it one of the most expensive stadiums in the world).

The stadium will be fully enclosed, while the seating bowl will echo the distinctive silhouette of the existing Arrowhead Stadium. Its capacity will be approximately 70,000 seats, slightly lower than that of its predecessor.

Considerable attention has been paid to acoustics in order to enhance one of the Chiefs’ greatest home-field advantages – the noise generated by their fans, who already hold the Guinness World Record for the loudest crowd roar at a sports stadium. The stadium will also feature a dedicated platform for the traditional pre-game Drum Ceremony.

The roof will be transparent enough to allow fans in the stands to watch spectacular military flyovers. Outside the stadium, a large number of parking spaces will support the popular tailgating tradition.

The new stadium is expected to open for the 2031 season, when the lease agreement for Arrowhead Stadium expires. After more than half a century as the Chiefs’ home, Arrowhead is currently the third-oldest stadium in the NFL.

How was the project for the new Kansas City Chiefs stadium developed?

Who are the Kansas City Chiefs?

The Kansas City Chiefs are an American football team competing in the NFL. The franchise was founded in 1959 as the Dallas Texans and was one of the eight original teams of the then AFL. In 1963, the team relocated to Kansas City and adopted its current name. The Chiefs have won the Super Bowl four times – in the 1969, 2019, 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Where do the Kansas City Chiefs currently play?

The Kansas City Chiefs play their home games at Arrowhead Stadium, which opened in 1972 and is now one of the oldest venues in the NFL. Only Lambeau Field (1957) and Soldier Field (1924) are older, although the latter underwent an almost complete reconstruction in 2002–2003.

The venue is located in the eastern suburbs of Kansas City and has a distinctive silhouette shaped by the original contours of its seating bowl, with concave arcs behind the end zones and strongly emphasized corners.

Next to Arrowhead Stadium stands Kauffman Stadium, the home of baseball’s Kansas City Royals, which opened a year later in 1973. Together, the two venues form the Truman Sports Complex. The original concept included a retractable roof that could be moved over either stadium, but the idea was eventually abandoned due to the high costs involved.

What plans did the Kansas City Chiefs initially have for their stadium?

The lease agreement for Arrowhead Stadium expires in 2031, but the Chiefs had begun planning for their future several years in advance. On 8 February 2024, a project for the largest renovation in the history of Arrowhead Stadium was unveiled. The upgrade would not have significantly changed the stadium’s form or character, but it would have allowed the venue to remain in use for many more years.

The modernization was estimated to cost $800 million (including $500 million in public funding), a substantial amount considering that the project did not involve any revolutionary changes. The plan was announced at a time when the Kansas City Chiefs were “on a roll”, having won three Super Bowls in the previous five seasons.

On 2 April 2024, a local referendum was held on the issue of public funding. The proposed Arrowhead Stadium renovation was combined with a plan to build a new stadium for the Kansas City Royals baseball team (MLB). However, voters rejected the use of public funds for both projects, which almost certainly meant their failure.

When did plans for the Chiefs’ relocation to Kansas emerge?

When financial support from the State of Missouri proved unrealistic, relocation to neighboring Kansas became the alternative. Since Kansas City lies on the border between Kansas and Missouri, the team could in fact remain within the same metropolitan area.

Unlike Missouri, the authorities in Kansas made significant efforts to get the Chiefs “on their side” by introducing legal changes that enabled substantial financial support for professional sports projects.

This support was to come primarily from Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) bonds. They allowed up to 50% of project costs to be financed through public funding, and following changes approved in June 2024, this limit was increased to as much as 70%.

While the legislative changes were still being debated, in late April 2024 the Chiefs released concept images showing a new stadium that could be built within the state of Kansas. The concept was preliminary and illustrative in nature, and was designed by Manica.

How did the plans for the new Kansas City Chiefs stadium develop further?

On 22 December 2025, the Kansas City Chiefs and the authorities of the State of Kansas announced at a joint press conference that they had reached an agreement on the construction of a new stadium in Kansas.

The authorities ultimately agreed to provide 60% public funding for the stadium project, which was expected to cost $3 billion. As part of the agreement, the Chiefs also committed to building a new headquarters and training facility within the state of Kansas.

On 27 January 2026, the Chiefs announced that the final design of the new venue would be prepared by one of two renowned architectural firms: Manica (authors of the preliminary 2024 concept) or Populous.

The choice between Manica and Populous had an additional local dimension – both firms, regarded as among the world’s leading designers of sports venues, are headquartered in Kansas City. As a result, the city is one of the world’s most important hubs for stadium design, and the Chiefs can benefit from a local pool of experts with international experience.

When was the design for the new Kansas City Chiefs stadium unveiled?

The first official concept design for the new Kansas City Chiefs stadium was unveiled on 22 July 2026. It was created by Manica, which was announced as the winner of the design competition and appointed as the lead design architect. HNTB, another Kansas City-based firm, was selected as the architect of record responsible for preparing the complete design documentation. The announcement noted that the concept was preliminary and could still evolve.

What does the design of the new Kansas City Chiefs stadium include?

The stadium will be fully enclosed and will feature clear references to the Chiefs’ previous home, Arrowhead Stadium – particularly the shape of the seating bowl and the distinctive curves in its upper sections strongly evoke the existing venue.

The suite buildings located along the sidelines at the top of the seating bowl may also recall the shape of the video boards at Arrowhead Stadium, thanks to their elongated, elliptical forms. The capacity of the new stadium is expected to be approximately 70,000 spectators, slightly lower than that of Arrowhead.

One of the stadium’s defining features will be its fully enclosed roof. The roof will incorporate more than 400,000 square feet of ETFE panels. Thanks to their high transparency, a large amount of natural light will enter the interior.

The transparent roof will also allow fans to continue watching spectacular military flyovers above the stadium, with aircraft and helicopters remaining visible from the seating bowl despite the fully enclosed structure.

The renderings prominently feature the famous B-2 bombers flying over the stadium. Due to the proximity of Whiteman Air Force Base, B-2 aircraft have already appeared several times above Arrowhead Stadium before Chiefs games.

The stadium will also include the so-called Drum Deck – a dedicated platform for the Chiefs’ traditional pre-game ritual, during which a selected individual strikes a drum, followed by fans performing the Tomahawk Chop accompanied by the War Chant.

The building’s geometry has been analyzed by acoustics specialists to maximize crowd noise generated by Chiefs fans, who already hold the Guinness World Record in this category (142.2 dBA).

Directly beneath the roof, the Chiefs Ring of Honor will commemorate the most important figures in franchise history. The interior will also feature the Chiefs Hall of Honor (more than twice the size of the current facility) and a new Chiefs Team Store (four times larger than the existing store).

The project follows the trend of ultra-modern, fully enclosed and highly expensive NFL stadiums. The venue will be designed to host top-level events, including the highly anticipated Super Bowl, as well as concerts and soccer matches.

What will be built around the new Chiefs stadium?

More than 20,000 parking spaces are planned around the stadium, designed with tailgating in mind. The surrounding area will also include further real estate developments.

A plaza featuring a statue of Lamar Hunt is also planned next to the stadium. Hunt was one of the most important figures not only in Chiefs history, but also in the history of the entire NFL.

Hunt founded the Kansas City Chiefs (originally as the Dallas Texans) and remained their owner until his death in 2006, after which the team was inherited by his family. Lamar Hunt was also the founder of the AFL, which later merged with the NFL.

Where will the new Chiefs stadium be built?

With the opening of the new stadium, the Chiefs will move approximately 24 miles west – from the eastern part of the Kansas City metropolitan area to the western suburbs, already located within the state of Kansas.

The venue is planned for the area around the intersection of 126th Street and State Avenue, near Kansas Speedway. The area is also home to a soccer stadium (Sporting Park) and a baseball stadium (Legends Field).

When will the new Chiefs stadium be built?

A construction start date has not yet been announced, although work is expected to begin most likely in late 2026 or early 2027. The venue is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2031 season, when the lease agreement for Arrowhead Stadium expires.

How much will the new Chiefs stadium cost?

The stadium’s construction cost is estimated at $3 billion, placing it among the most expensive stadiums in the world. 60% of the project will be financed by the State of Kansas through Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) bonds and the Attracting Professional Sports to Kansas Fund, with the remaining share covered by private funding.

The Hunt family will also commit an additional $1.5 billion to further investments in Kansas: a new Chiefs headquarters and training facility, which will be built in Olathe at a cost of $300 million, while a further $1.2 billion will be allocated to real estate developments surrounding the stadium and the new headquarters.