Chiefs announce $800M renovation of Arrowhead after 2026 World Cup

Super Bowl LVIII winners the Kansas City Chiefs plan to invest $800 million to renovate their Arrowhead stadium immediately after the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The plan has already been established and mapped out by the NFL franchise, but the operation itself will depends on the extension of a proposed sales tax to tax payers in Jackson County, Missouri. The proposal will be included on the ballot in the general municipal election on 2 April. Funds gained from the tax would go towards maintaining the NFL and MLB stadium facilities in Kansas City.

Chiefs president Clark Hunt told the Associated Press that they would not be willing to sign another 25-year deal without adequate financing to renovate the stadium, even though the franchise’s value has increased after winning consecutive Super Bowls and almost doubled in four years.

Arrowhead is one of the oldest stadiums in the NFL, only surpassed by Chicago Bears’ home, Soldier Field (1924) and Lamebeau Field, where the Green Bay Packers have been based since 1957. Construction was completed in 1972 and no major modifications have been made since then. The Harry S. Truman Sports Complex hosts two venues - Arrowhead and Kauffman stadium, home of MLB franchise, the Royals - for now... as they could soon be moving to new premises downtown. The franchise plans to modify the stands in the end zone and on top of the building to connect both stadiums as well as .

The Hunt family would invest $300 million into the refurbishment project with the remaining $500 million coming from the tax payer. As Clark Hunt explained, “We would not be willing to sign a lease for another 25 years without the financing to properly renovate and re-imagine the stadium. So the financing puzzle is very important to us to make sure we have enough funds to do everything we’ve outlined.”

Which 2026 World Cup games will be played in Kansas City?

FIFA has designated four group stage matches in Kansas City during the 2026 World Cup. The group stage games, corresponding to games 19, 34, 58 and 69 will be played on June 16, 20, 25 and 27 respectively. A round of 32 game, match 87, will be played on 3 July. The final World Cup match at Arrowhead Stadium will take place on 11 July - the third and fourth quarter final games will be played on that date, with the other game taking place in Miami.

The 2026 World Cup kicks off on 11 June with the inaugural match at the Azteca in Mexico City. The first game to be played on North American soil will be the following day in Los Angeles. The final will be played at New Jersey stadium in New York on Sunday 11 July. The United States, Mexico and Canada qualify automatically as tournament hosts.