Take a look inside Arrowhead’s World Cup transformation to ‘Kansas City Stadium’
The transformation from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium to Kansas City Stadium is nearing the finish line.
The field has been expanded and reshaped, advertisements have come down, seating is reconfigured, and everything else the Chiefs were required to do to make their stadium ready for the FIFA World Cup this summer is on schedule for the six games played here, starting with a match involving defending champion Argentina on June 16.
“We’re about five weeks away from the first match, and we’re really excited to turn the keys over to FIFA in the next week,” said Matt Kenny, Chiefs executive vice president of operations and events.
The World Cup will be spread over 16 sites in North America, and all 11 in the U.S. are NFL stadiums. All stadiums will be known by their city name, including New York New Jersey Stadium instead of MetLife Field.
But FIFA’s branding regulations will be what fans see no matter where they watch a game. At Kansas City Stadium, that means the huge advertisements above the stadium for businesses like Hy-Vee and T-Mobile have come down. In their place will be the signage of World Cup sponsors.
Not just there, but throughout the stadium. “Arrowhead” and “GEHA” will be covered.
“Hundreds of signs are being removed or covered,” Kenny said.
What won’t be covered, or closed, is the Chiefs Hall of Honor on the field-level concourse on the stadium’s west side. Soccer fans can touch up on the stadium tenant’s history there.
“You will have Chiefs references in the Hall of Honor, so as fans come from other parts of the world they’ll know they’re in an NFL stadium, the home of the Chiefs,” Kenny said.
About 3,500 seats on the east side were removed to make the field big enough for a soccer pitch. Another chunk of seats on the upper level on the press-box side will be used for media seating. That means for games, Kansas City Stadium’s capacity will be 65,000-68,000. For Chiefs games it’s over 73,000.
The Bermuda grass playing field also underwent a transformation. It’s a new field and shaped differently from an NFL surface, where the crown extends through the end zone. That’s not the case for a soccer pitch.
“At the goals it has to be perfectly level,” said Brandon Hamilton, Chiefs vice president of stadium operations and facilities.
Big changes also are happening outside the stadium, in the parking lots. Construction has started on FIFA hospitality and fan fest villages and a broadcast center.
Parking will be limited for World Cup games and fans will be encouraged to use the “Stadium Direct” bus, a $15 round-trip fare from four designated areas around the metro. Some parking will be available, starting at $125 for three of the four group-stage games.
Tailgating, an Arrowhead passion, figures to be abbreviated in a reduced Truman Sports Complex parking lot.
“There’s a high, high focus on people coming by bus and rideshare, which is quite different than what you see for a Chiefs game and a Royals game,” Kenny said.
The final game, a quarterfinal, is set for July 11, and the process of restoring GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium begins. The NFL schedule will be released later this week, and the Chiefs will soon know the date of their first preseason game, likely in mid-August,
“That’s the time frame, putting the field back in place, the stands, the seats and other elements removed,” Kenny said. “Even smaller things, like storage rooms we had to vacate because FIFA has activity there. There’s a substantial back end of this.
“The month will be high focus, high energy turning it back to football ready.”
