The Kansas City Chiefs are planning to host both NFL and college football games at a new stadium in the coming years. Discussions have been underway for weeks, and officials even released renderings of the proposed venue last week. Now, the hosting plans have also been revealed, with the new domed stadium in Wyandotte County, Kansas, expected to replace the aging Arrowhead Stadium.

“We have been in discussions with the NFL about Super Bowls in ’33, ’34 (and) ’35,” Chiefs President Mark Donovan said ahead of the team’s first full-squad practice session. “We have been in discussions — very preliminary discussions — but we are aggressively pursuing Final Fours.” 

Hosting major events like the Super Bowl or NCAA Final Four was never easy for Arrowhead because it is an open-air stadium in a cold-weather city. The new climate-controlled dome changes that by putting Kansas City in the running for Super Bowls, College Football Playoff games, concerts, and other major events. If the Chiefs host a Super Bowl in 2033, 2034, or 2035, it would be the franchise’s first home Super Bowl.

“We don’t have a building yet, and we don’t want to be knocked out of those because they’ve locked in so many so far out,” Donovan continued. “So we were in discussions with the NCAA last week about, ‘Could we bid on these dates (where) our stadium will be done by then, but it’s not done right now?’”

“When we did this deal, we made the commitment that we’re going to be really aggressive,” the Chiefs president said. “We think that this facility is going to have the ability to host all kinds of events. And frankly, you think about the events that we’re talking about bidding for right now, 95% of them we wouldn’t be able to bid on now because we don’t have an indoor stadium.” 

As he rightly pointed out, fans often favor warm-weather destinations, leaving colder cities like Kansas City out of the picture because Arrowhead Stadium lacks a roof.

However, not everyone seemed hopeful for the city to host Super Bowls at the new destination. And NFL Insider Albert Breer was one of them. Even if the Chiefs got a dome with 400,000 square feet of ETFE panels, Breer steered clear of the idea of having a Super Bowl in Kansas City. 

“My guess would be it won’t be a Super Bowl, but they are one of these teams that is in line to build a new stadium,” Breer said during his recent appearance on The Dan Patrick Show. “Chicago. If they build a dome, and Washington, if they build a dome, they’ll get Super Bowls. With your Clevelands and your Kansas Cities…my guess would be it won’t be a Super Bowl.” 

The $3 billion dome could help Kansas City compete for a Super Bowl, but there are no guarantees, especially with several other NFL teams also building new stadiums. Kansas City also faces other challenges, including cold February weather and limited hotel capacity. The metro area has about 36,000 hotel rooms, far fewer than major Super Bowl destinations such as Las Vegas, Miami, and New Orleans.

But again, only time will tell. On paper, however, the plans are much bigger than the speculation.

What did the new renderings for the Chiefs’ new home reveal?

MANICA was the lead architect who paired with HNTB and showcased a concept rendering of the new venue. It was a blend of traditional Arrowhead aesthetics and modern innovation. The stadium will have a seating capacity of 70,000 people. And it’ll have more than 20,000 parking spots to elevate the city’s tailgating culture. 

The audio engineers are planning to trap and maximize the crowd noise. It’ll ensure that the venue gives the Chiefs a proper home-field advantage. The renderings also had a ‘Drum Deck’ for pregame ceremonies. And all of that elicited a reaction from the Chiefs chairman and CEO, Clark Hunt. 

“From the beginning, our goal has been to build something that improved the gameday experience for every single fan,” Hunt said. “This new stadium will do just that. It’s spectacular. It honors the rich legacy of this franchise while setting a bold course for the future of Chiefs Kingdom.” 

According to a report by Econsult Solutions Inc., the project could generate an estimated $8.2 billion in total economic impact, including $4.5 billion in direct capital investment, $1.9 billion in indirect business-to-business spending, and $1.8 billion in induced spending from wages.

Funding for the project will come from Sales Tax and Revenue bonds and the Attracting Professional Sports to Kansas Fund. If everything goes according to plan, the Chiefs will move into the stadium for the 2031 NFL season. As of now, New Orleans is considered a leading candidate to host the Super Bowl that year.

Of course, securing a Super Bowl or Final Four will require the Chiefs to outbid the established market giants. And the domed vision will ensure that the city has the architectural power to do so.