Kansas City Chiefs will move from Missouri to neighboring Kansas to build new stadium
The winners of four Super Bowls and one of the sporting world’s most prominent franchises will leave their longtime home in Kansas City, Missouri, for new digs in Kansas City, Kansas.
The Kansas City Chiefs, winners of four Super Bowls and one of the sporting world’s most prominent franchises, will leave their longtime home in Missouri and play in Kansas starting in 2031, officials said Monday.
The Chiefs made the announcement after lawmakers in Kansas approved funding for a new stadium in Kansas City, Kansas, about 23 miles west of the franchise’s home of more than a half-century, Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly spiked the football and said the move shows her that Kansas is ready to play on the country’s big stage.
“Today we are announcing an agreement to bring our beloved Kansas City Chiefs right here to Kansas,” she told reporters in Topeka. “For the rest of the nation, I say take heed. Kansas is not a flyover state. We are a touchdown state.”
Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, son of team founder Lamar Hunt, likened the move to his dad’s bold move to found the American Football League and then move the franchise to the Midwest.
A new domed stadium for the Chiefs will be part of a “mixed-use district in Wyandotte County, and a best-in-class training facility, team headquarters, and mixed-use district in Olathe, totaling a minimum of $4 billion of development in the State of Kansas,” Hunt said in a statement.
“When my father started the American Football League, he had big dreams, both for the league and for his team,” Hunt told reporters.
“His focus in every instance was to give the fans the best possible experience. Today is another step in that legacy of innovation and that fan-first mentality at the Kansas City Chiefs. We chase big dreams on the field, those dreams involve division titles, conference championships and Lombardi Trophies. But off the field, we are big dreamers as well.”
Quinton Lucas, mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, seemed to take the loss in stride and said he understood the Chiefs’ decision.
“Although our conversations with the team extended to as recently as late last week, we understand that our very fair and very responsible financial offer of taxpayer support was surpassed thus far by an even more robust public financing package in Kansas,” Lucas said. “We are professionals and understand the Chiefs have a business to run and today that the Chiefs made a business decision.”
If the Chiefs leave Missouri in 2031, it’ll mark the third NFL franchise to bolt from the Show Me State in less than 50 years.
The St. Louis Cardinals played the 1987 season at Busch Stadium before leaving for Arizona. The Los Angeles Rams relocated to St. Louis in time for the 1995 season before going back to L.A. in 2016.
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe struck a more combative tone than Lucas and accused Clark Hunt of stomping on family legacy.
“It’s more than just a brick-and-mortar facility, it’s what Lamar Hunt built. It’s his legacy,” Kehoe said. “I think that making a decision that tells Chiefs Kingdom that maybe that’s not so important anymore, it’s disturbing to me and I’m sure to other Chiefs fans.”
The Chiefs have soared in popularity in recent years, in equal parts because of its success on the field and up on the bleachers.
Kansas City has appeared in five of the past six Super Bowls, winning three titles with dynamic quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce.
That success has been amplified by Kelce’s relationship with pop superstar Taylor Swift, whose legions of fans have adopted the Chiefs as their favorite team.
Recommended
newsWhite House rebuffs Catholic bishops’ appeal for a Christmas pause in immigration enforcement
U.S. newsWinter weather and intense rain complicate holiday travel ahead of Christmas
“It’s so funny to be onstage and to see thousands of Kansas City Chiefs 87 jerseys,” Swift said in a recently released episode of the documentary series “The End of an Era.”
The Chiefs and baseball’s Kansas City Royals play side-by-side at the Truman Sports Complex just south of Interstate 70 and east of I-435 in Missouri. Leases at both stadiums come up in January 2031.
The Royals have already started planning a post-Kauffman Stadium era with hope of having a new ballpark in the Crossroads District in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
The Chiefs were founding members of the upstart AFL, playing as the Dallas Texans for three seasons from 1960 to 1962.
Even though the Texans won the 1962 AFL title, Lamar Hunt pulled up stakes to Kansas City, Missouri, for the 1963 season, and his franchise has flourished ever since.
The Chiefs have won four Super Bowls, tied with blue bloods such as the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers.
Kansas City trails only the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys, each with five titles, and the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers, with six trophies each.
The Chiefs have called Arrowhead Stadium home since the 1972 season, and the building — with its rabid fans and legendary tailgating — has earned a reputation as one of pro football’s loudest venues.
Though the Chiefs had been in talks with Missouri and Jackson County officials about keeping the team on the east side of the state line, Kansas appears to have won the bidding war.
Jackson County voters, in April 2024, rejected a sales tax measure that could have financed an Arrowhead Stadium renovation.
It won’t be the first time a pro football team has moved within the same TV market but to a different state.
The New York Giants landed in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1976, and the New York Jets followed them west in 1984.
Both franchises kept their “New York” monikers despite playing on the other side of the Hudson River.
The Washington Commanders have played in Maryland, outside Washington, since 1997. The club had called Robert F. Kennedy and Griffith Stadiums home in the District of Columbia.
Kansas City, Missouri, has a population of about 508,000 and is within Jackson County, home to about 717,000 residents.
Kansas City, Kansas, is home to about 156,000 people, within Wyandotte County, which has a population of about 170,000.
Kansas City Chiefs Leaving Missouri After More Than 60 Years: All the Details
Kansas City Chiefs confirmed they’re leaving Missouri’s Arrowhead Stadium for a new stadium in Wyandotte County, Kansas, which they will play at beginning in 2031.
| Updated 12 hours agoTags
LINK COPIED!
Watch: Kansas City Chiefs Leaving Missouri After More Than 60 Years: All the Details
The Kansas City Chiefs have moved their goal line to a new state.
After over six decades of landing touchdowns at Missouri’s Arrowhead Stadium, the NFL team—which features Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Jaylen Watson and more on its roster—will now play their home games in Kansas.
“Today, we are excited to take another momentous step for the future of the franchise,” the team wrote in a statement on their Instagram Dec. 22. “We have entered into an agreement with the State of Kansas to host Chiefs football beginning with the 2031 NFL season. In the years ahead, we look forward to designing and building a state-of-the-art domed stadium and mixed-use district in Wyandotte County.”
As for the team’s training facility—which is also stationed near Arrowhead—their camp will also move to a “mixed-use district in Olathe,” a vast suburb in Kansas a little over 20 miles southwest of the Chiefs’ current home. Altogether, this relocation will total “a minimum of $4 billion of development.”
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Celebrate Kansas City Chiefs’ 2024 Super Bowl Win
“The benefit to the entire region will be monumental,” the Chiefs continued. “A stadium of this caliber will put Kansas City in the running for Super Bowls, Final Fours, and other world-class events.”
And while this historic decision will elevate their future goals as a team, they’ll never forget their supporters for getting them through their home competitions.
“Arrowhead reminds me of family memories and unforgettable moments,” the organization explained. “But the truth is, what makes Chiefs game days so special is you. Seats don’t make noise, concrete doesn’t intimate opponents, parking lots don’t cook barbecue. You do.”
This statement comes over a year after the Chiefs started negotiating with both the governments of Missouri and Kansas about their future home. Last June, the Kansas House and Senate passed their Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) bonds, which would “pay up to 70% of the cost” of a new stadium if the team showed interest, according to Fox 4. The proposal hit new heights this month, when the states’ Legislative Coordinating Council approved the plan on Dec. 22.
This isn’t the first time the Chiefs have elevated their home turf. The team played several seasons at Municipal Stadium from 1963 to 1971, before beginning their historic run at fellow Kansas City landmark Arrowhead a year later.
And as the Chiefs gear up for their move, their starting quarterback is also going through a drastic change off the field. Indeed, Mahomes—who shares kids Sterling, 4, Bronze, 3, and Golden, 11 months, with Brittany Mahomes—prematurely ended his ninth season after tearing his ACL during the Chiefs’ game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 14.
(Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
“Don’t know why this had to happen,” the 30-year-old wrote on X shortly after the game. “And not going to lie it’s hurts. But all we can do now is Trust in God and attack every single day over and over again.”
He continued, “Thank you Chiefs kingdom for always supporting me and for everyone who has reached out and sent prayers. I will be back stronger than ever.”
Kansas dome in 2031
By
Published Dec. 22, 2025, 4:45 p.m. ET347 Comments
How Giants’ sad season went south so suddenly | Back Page BanterNextStay
Will they become the Kansas State Chiefs?
The Chiefs have agreed to move from Missouri to the Sunflower State in 2031, when they are expected to play in a new $3 billion domed stadium in Wyandotte County, owner Clark Hunt announced in a letter to fans Monday.
“Today we are excited to take another momentous step for the future of the franchise,” he wrote. “We have entered into an agreement with the State of Kansas to host Chiefs football beginning with the 2031 NFL season. In the years ahead, we look forward to designing and building a state-of-the-art domed stadium and mixed-use district in Wyandotte County, and a best-in-class training facility, team headquarters, and mixed-use district in Olathe, totaling a minimum of $4 billion of development in the State of Kansas.”
The move out of their longtime home at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City was secured after top Kansas lawmakers approved a proposal to help fund the stadium Monday.
The team will move to a domed stadium in Kansas as part of an agreement to build a mixed-use entertainment district. The proposal approved by lawmakers includes a new team headquarters and training facility, with STAR bonds covering up to 70 percent of costs.
Missouri lawmakers had authorized bonds covering up to 50 percent of costs to renovate or build a new stadium plus $50 million in tax credits.
Explore More
Mets trade away longtime star after clubhouse drama in latest roster overhauling
Ex-MLB All-Star blasts Disney Cruise Line over ‘man dressed as woman’
DK Metcalf’s suspension for altercation with fan puts $45M in guaranteed money at risk
“This is a great day for Kansas City Chiefs fans,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said. “This public-private partnership, the result of a thoughtful and deliberate process, will build upon the Hunts’ generational legacy by boldly investing in one of America’s greatest fan bases. The Chiefs’ new enclosed stadium will be a stage for unforgettable moments, whether it’s playoff games, concerts or championship events. We congratulate the Chiefs and the Kansas City community on this important achievement.”
The Chiefs have played at Arrowhead Stadium since 1972 and in recent years have blossomed into a dynasty — which took a detour this season, with Kansas City missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
“This agreement to bring the Chiefs to Kansas takes our state to the next level. With this new stadium, we’re creating thousands of jobs, bringing in tourists from around the world, attracting young people, and most importantly, we’re continuing to make Kansas the best place in America to raise a family,” Kansas governor Laura Kelly said. “This is a game-changer for Kansas, and it’s a signal to America and the world that our state’s future is very bright.”
Videos from reporters inside the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka showed Chiefs flags draped all over in preparation for the announcement.
Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas was also set to hold a news conference.
The Chiefs leaving would be a gut-punch to Missouri, which has offered a package of its own and watched the Rams leave St. Louis for Los Angeles in 2016.
Hunt acknowledged the tough truth that looms for Chiefs fans.
“Of course, it will be difficult to bid farewell to Arrowhead Stadium in a few years,” Hunt wrote. “Like so many of you, Arrowhead reminds me of family memories and unforgettable moments. But the truth is, what makes Chiefs game days so special is you. Seats don’t make noise, concrete doesn’t intimidate opponents, parking lots don’t cook barbecue. You do.347
What do you think? Post a comment.
“From the day the Chiefs came to Kansas City, you have energized this team, and this team has elevated the profile of the city and the region. It’s the reason kids from coast to coast wear red and gold t-shirts, and sports fans around the world will watch soccer games from our backyard this summer. This next step will further elevate the entire region in the eyes of the country and the world.”
