Chiefs turn the keys over to FIFA Sunday for World Cup

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — June 11, the whistle will blow to kick off the first games of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The first two matches are happening in Mexico before it’s Kansas City’s turn.

If you’ve been to a Royals game lately and park near the third base side, you may be able to see there’s already a FIFA sign up. The two other signs on the west side of GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium will be changed as well.

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During the tournament, the stadium will be called ‘Kansas City Stadium.’ FOX4 saw a crane on the visitor’s side outside the stadium taking out the Government Employees Health Association sign, better known as GEHA.

Chiefs Executive Vice President of Operations Matt Kenny says FIFA sponsors around broadcasting have priority over team sponsors.

“So, we’ve taken those things down. We will continue to do that over the next several weeks before the first matches,” Kenny said. “But you will see it’s a little a bit of a transformation with respect to the signage and the branding that you’re accustomed to for Chiefs’ matches.”

Kenny says FIFA covers some signs on their own. There’s no word when the big end zone signs will be covered. The Chiefs have taken out 3,500 seats on what’s normally the visitor’s sideline for National Football League (NFL) games.

They also took out seats in the upper deck on the home sideline for FIFA media. There will be 65,000 to 68,000 seats for the city’s six soccer matches in June and July. The seating capacity for a Chiefs’ game is 73,426, according to the team.

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“You’ve also probably seen outside the parking lots. A lot of the activation that’s coming in, FIFA will have its hospitality village, its fan fest village,” Kenny said.

Kenny says they’ve tried to find ways to have other activities here during the football season because they haven’t had a full-scale concert at the stadium since before the 2024 Chiefs’ season.

“A commitment from the Hunt family for a legacy kind of opportunity like this to do the work that’s necessary to support, we were keen to be eligible, and the construction was a non-starter,” he continued. “So some of the concert activity that we’ve grown accustomed to is out. It’ll certainly be back in earnest in the future.”

Kenny says the team will ‘give the keys over’ to FIFA on Sunday. He added that hundreds of signs either have to be removed or covered.