KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Taylor Swift fans should be glad her summer tour took over the world in 2023, because such events may not be possible at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium for the next two years.
Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt was unequivocal — the Kansas City Chiefs must figure out how to host a World Cup, working with a demanding master in FIFA to optimize GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium for soccer but without disrupting the in-stadium experience during football season over the next three years.
President Mark Donovan paraphrased the message Hunt delivered a year ago after Kansas City was chosen as one of 16 cities in North American to host games in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
WATCH | How Kansas City Became a Host City
“We need to host the World Cup because of what it is and what it can do for this region,” Donovan said, relaying Hunt’s message. “And we need to make sure every single Chiefs fan has the exact same experience in ’24, ’25, ’26 and ’27, so figure it out.”
Donovan laughed when asked if they have it figured out: “That’s the talented team we have around us, we actually do.”
Renovations at Arrowhead, including a plan to create removable seats in the lower bowl to accommodate the required width of a soccer field, are expected to get underway next winter after the Chiefs’ 2023 season wraps up.
“We can’t really sacrifice the football experience because we did some things for the World Cup, so it’s a huge puzzle piece for our operations team,” Donovan said. “... It’s going to be a challenge — and it’s going to be a three- or four-year challenge as we roll this out, but we’ve got a good plan.”
While the renovations for the World Cup won’t affect football season, it will have an impact on other summer events, including concerts like Swift’s two-night stay at Arrowhead for “The Eras Tour.”
But Donovan said the Chiefs and other officials believe it’s worth it.
“It will be an economic driver that we have never seen as a region, ever,” Donovan said. “It will have long-lasting international benefit for us as a city and a region.”
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