The Kansas City Chiefs have called Kansas City home since 1963, and that isn’t changing immediately. But beginning with the 2031 season, the franchise is expected to cross state lines. With Clark Hunt’s team reaching an agreement with Kansas state officials on a $3 billion domed stadium project, the relocation plan is now firmly in motion.

And as that process continues to pick up steam, the Chiefs have taken another major step by narrowing down the firms that could shape their future home. According to Front Office Sports, the Chiefs have selected Manica Architecture and Populous, both based in the Kansas City area, as the two finalists to design the new domed stadium in Kansas. But a final decision isn’t expected until later this spring.

The move comes just over a month after the franchise finalized a two-part stadium agreement with state officials. Under the terms of that agreement, the Chiefs plan to build the stadium in Wyandotte County, Kansas. For now, the targeted opening is in 2031. Separately, the team will also develop a new practice facility and headquarters in Olathe, located in Johnson County. The project is expected to exceed $1 billion.

But while the current review process focuses on the stadium and the practice facility, it doesn’t include the Chiefs’ headquarters.

The shortlist itself adds important context. Manica brings extensive NFL experience. The firm has designed the Tennessee Titans’ upcoming stadium in Nashville and the Las Vegas Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium. Beyond football, the firm has worked across multiple professional leagues and international soccer venues. This resume, of course, gives it a broad portfolio in large-scale sports architecture.

Populous, on the other hand, offers nearly five decades of experience in venue design. The firm is behind the Buffalo Bills’ Highmark Stadium and has worked on high-profile projects. Think of the Sphere in Las Vegas. And like Manica, Populous also has a deep résumé in European soccer stadiums.

“The Kansas City region is the central hub of global sports and entertainment venue architecture and design, so we didn’t need to go far to identify the top options to explore final concepts for the future home of Chiefs Kingdom,” team president Mark Donovan said in a statement.

That said, while the design process moves forward, the stadium plan itself hasn’t been without friction. Even as the Chiefs narrow in on who will design their next home, the franchise remains engaged in ongoing discussions and disputes with Kansas state lawmakers over the financial framework surrounding the $3 billion project.

Clark Hunt’s Chiefs face the stadium ownership disputes

Under the framework of the Chiefs’ proposed $3 billion stadium plan, Kansas officials have approved bond measures that would cover roughly 60% of the total cost. Clark Hunt’s Chiefs will fund the remaining portion. However, there’s one non-negotiable condition from the team’s side: the project only works if the stadium is publicly owned. And that single requirement is exactly why the deal is now facing scrutiny at the state level.

“If that (stadium) is not owned by a sports authority, if that is owned in private hands, then, if you would have $1.8 billion of STAR bonds come into that development, that would all be federally income taxed,” Chiefs attorney Korb Maxwell said when questions were raised about why the stadium wasn’t privately owned, as per the Kansas City Business Journal. “And so you would take, then, 45% of the dollars that came in and roughly ship that to Washington, D.C. … That would blow a huge hole in the budget for this project and, frankly, would not allow it to move forward.”

Maxwell’s point was straightforward. If the $1.8 billion raised through STAR bonds isn’t tax-exempt, nearly half of that money would be lost to federal taxes. At that point, the stadium simply stops being financially viable. This is why the Chiefs have made it clear they’d walk away from the current plan under that structure.

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That leads to the “fix” the team is proposing. The creation of a government-backed public authority that would own the stadium, with the Chiefs leasing and operating the facility. It’s a setup the franchise views as standard for projects of this scale. But one that still makes Kansas lawmakers uneasy.

For now, where this dispute ultimately lands remains uncertain. The stadium is still targeting a 2031 opening, and the Hunt family continues to move forward with finalizing design plans. Whether the venue ends up privately owned or under public control, however, is the question that will ultimately decide how, and if, this project moves ahead.