The Kansas City Chiefs released the first concept renderings of their new enclosed stadium on Wednesday, confirming a $3 billion build in Kansas City, Kansas, that will seat approximately 70,000 fans when it opens in 2031.

The club named Kansas City-based MANICA as lead design architect following a six-month competition between two finalists, with fellow local firm HNTB serving as architect of record. CAA ICON managed the RFQ, RFP, and design competition process as owner’s representative.

A Fixed Roof Built Around Noise and Tailgating

Unlike Arrowhead Stadium’s open-air bowl, the new venue will be fully enclosed beneath a roof of translucent ETFE panels — the same lightweight, weather-resistant material used at stadiums such as Allianz Arena in Munich and SoFi Stadium’s canopy in Inglewood, California. More than 400,000 square feet of panels will sit directly above the field, a design choice aimed at preserving sightlines for military flyovers while still enclosing the bowl.

The Chiefs said the stadium’s shape and roof geometry were studied specifically by audio engineers to amplify crowd noise, an explicit bid to protect the homefield advantage Arrowhead has long been known for. Surrounding parking infrastructure — more than 20,000 spots — is being purpose-built to preserve the club’s tailgating culture rather than treat it as a secondary use of the site.

Inside, the seating bowl draws on Arrowhead’s geometry, and the design carries over fan touchpoints including a Drum Deck for pregame ceremonies and a prominent Ring of Honor display. Outside the gates, plans call for a modern plaza anchored by the Lamar Hunt statue, a Chiefs Hall of Honor more than double its current footprint, and a team store roughly four times the size of the existing one.

STAR Bonds Anchor the Public-Private Financing Structure

The project is structured as a public-private partnership. The public share runs through Kansas’s Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) bond program and the state’s Attracting Professional Sports to Kansas Fund — mechanisms designed so the project draws no new state taxes and carries no direct hit to the state budget. STAR bonds work by capturing new sales tax revenue generated within a defined development district and redirecting it to bond repayment, rather than raising rates or tapping general funds. The remainder of the stadium’s cost is privately financed.

The stadium is one piece of a larger footprint the Chiefs are building in Kansas: the club plans a separate practice facility and team headquarters for Olathe, Kansas, alongside two private mixed-use development districts tied to the stadium site. Kansas officials say the combined package includes $1 billion in additional development in the state.

Economic Projections Lean on Construction-Era Job Years

The Chiefs’ own figures project that the stadium, practice facility, and adjacent developments will generate 36,500 full-time-equivalent job-years and $8.2 billion in regional economic impact during construction. Once operational, the club projects the complex will support 8,500 FTE jobs and produce $1.5 billion in annual economic impact.

These numbers describe potential economic activity tied to the project rather than guaranteed outcomes, and no independent analyst has yet evaluated them — a distinction worth watching as the project advances through Wyandotte County approvals over the next several years.

What Comes Next

Wednesday’s announcement closes out the design-firm selection phase; detailed architectural plans, a construction timeline, and formal local approvals in Wyandotte County still lie ahead before groundbreaking. The Chiefs have set a 2031 opening target, meaning the design and entitlement process will play out over roughly five years.

Additionally, the Chiefs’ enclosed stadium plan lands amid a broader surge in NFL venue investment. In Charlotte, the Carolina Panthers are moving forward with a renovation of their own, having expanded the scope of work on Bank of America Stadium to more than $1.3 billion, with new renderings showing an overhauled exterior, expanded gathering spaces and a standalone entertainment venue.

Project Factsheet: Kansas City Chiefs new stadium set to open in 2031

• Location: Kansas City, Kansas (Wyandotte County)
• Cost: $3 billion
• Capacity: 70,000
• Roof: Fully enclosed, translucent ETFE panels (400,000+ sq ft above the field)
• Parking: 20,000+ spaces
• Lead design architect: MANICA (Kansas City, MO)
• Architect of record: HNTB (Kansas City, MO)
• Owner’s representative: CAA ICON
• Financing: Public-private; STAR bonds and Kansas’s Attracting Professional Sports to Kansas Fund (public share) plus private financing
• Related developments: Practice facility/HQ in Olathe, KS; two private mixed-use districts; $1B in additional Kansas development
• Projected construction-era impact: 36,500 FTE job-years; $8.2B regional economic impact
• Projected annual operational impact: 8,500 FTE jobs; $1.5B economic impact
• Target opening: 2031