$2bn Chiefs owner doing what his father couldn’t in 47 years amid Arrowhead Stadium farewell

Clark Hunt is delivering something his father couldn’t – bringing soccer to Arrowhead Stadium.

Home to the modern NFL dynasty Kansas City Chiefs, Arrowhead will play host to some fixtures at the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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It was a vision realized by Hunt’s late father Lamar, who owned the Chiefs for 47 years from the franchise’s inception in 1959 until his death in 2006, and aggressively pursued the idea of having Arrowhead host some games at the 1994 World Cup back in 1990.

On that occasion, though, his efforts were in vain as Arrowhead was not named as one of the nine venues used when Brazil went on to lift the trophy.

Fast-forward 36 years, in which the Chiefs spent millions on renovations to their home to bring it up to not just the standards of the NFL, but also to meet the requirements of a soccer field, and FIFA have given them their reward.

In total, Arrowhead – which will be known as Kansas City Stadium due to FIFA’s strict regulations on non-exclusive commercial rights – will host six games in the Group Stage.

They will welcome Lionel Messi and reigning champions Argentina, while the likes of the Netherlands and Algeria will also take to the field at the 76,000-capacity amphitheatre.

Arrowhead has also been granted a Round of 32 match, as well as one of the four Quarter-Finals, which are set to take place on July 3 and July 11.

“Clark has been keen on really living that legacy, finding a way for Kansas City and Arrowhead Stadium specifically to host World Cup matches,” Chiefs executive vice president of operations and events Matt Kenny said, via AP.

Subtle, but crucial, changes made to Arrowhead for the World Cup

In order to be approved as a venue by FIFA ahead of the newly-expanded 48-team tournament, the Chiefs needed to upgrade their playing surface.

They did so by installing an air system underneath the field which has been designed to help with the quality of the grass pitch.

“FIFA has some basic requirements in respect to playability. They want consistency with the way the ball bounces. Obviously, the width and the size of the pitch across venues,” Kenny said of these changes.

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“It’s been the better part of 10 years from the bid to actually executing the matches here, and it’s been a massive collaboration.”

Furthermore, like virtually all host venues at this summer’s World Cup, the Chiefs are having to go to great lengths to either remove, or hide their signage, in order to avoid any conflicting sponsorships that FIFA have with their partners.

The only exception to this rule is the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, who have been granted special exemption on the basis that their huge Mercedes-Benz star on the top of their retractable roof would cause far too much damage were measures taken to hide the sponsor.

“The challenges were really tied to us understanding exactly what FIFA needed, what we could do to balance our unique situation,” Kenny added.

“We’re hosting a quarterfinal match, so that’s a testament to our planning and the work that’s been done.”

Chiefs leaving Arrowhead

For the Chiefs, hosting World Cup games will also be part of their farewell tour as they announced back in December 2025 that they will be departing their home of 50-plus years in 2031, and moving across state lines from Missouri to Kansas City.

Nonetheless, having the honor of hosting such huge soccer games is a huge sign of recognition to the Hunt family of the hard work that has gone on, stemming all the way back to 1990 with Lamar’s vision, which is now finally being realized, even if he isn’t here to witness it.

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