Big news out of Kansas City today, as the Kansas City Royals announced an agreement to build a new 35,000-seat stadium in the downtown area. If finalized, the intention would be to relocate from Kauffman Stadium in 2030.
The stadium question has been in flux for years, as both the Royals and Kansas City Chiefs looked to replace their 50-year-old stadiums. For the Royals, Kauffman Stadium is the fifth-oldest in MLB by opening date – it opened in 1973, and only Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium, and Angel Stadium are older.
But in functional terms, it’s really the second-oldest stadium, since Fenway, Wrigley, and Dodger Stadium have all been renovated and are considered long-term homes for their teams. Of the group, only Angel Stadium is still in need of a new option.
Residents of Kansas City, as well as government officials in Missouri, have also been on edge about the discussions following the Chiefs’ move to a new stadium in Kansas City, Kansas. Although still in the Kansas City metro area, the loss was painful to those who wanted both teams to either remain at the Truman Sports Complex or move to downtown.
Where will the Royals stadium be located?
The plan calls for the stadium to be at Crown Center, on the south end of the downtown area. It would be close to the Crosstown Arts District and immediately next door to Union Station. The Power & Light District in downtown Kansas City would be less than a mile and a half to the north and connected by the light rail system.
What it means for fans
It’s great news for Royals fans. Despite Kauffman Stadium’s devoted following – and its own unique charms, like the outfield fountains – everyone has known that a new ballpark was necessary. And while losing the Chiefs to Kansas was tough, the reality is that a new 81-90-game stadium in the middle of downtown will do far more to spur economic development in the area than a 10- to 20-event-per-year football stadium.
For visitors, it will be even better. The challenge with visiting Kauffman is that visiting fans always faced transit challenges: whether to rent a car and pay for parking both downtown and at the stadium, or to rely on ridesharing, despite the cost and inconvenience (especially when it came to luggage storage and getting back to the airport following a Sunday afternoon game). And public transit options are all but nonexistent (we tried the public bus from downtown to Kauffman, and our stadium insider gave it a definitive thumbs-down).
But now, fans will have the convenience of not needing a car at all. A rideshare or free public bus from the airport to downtown will be easy, and getting from the Power & Light District to the ballpark will be simple via light rail or even walking.
It will also be a boon to local restaurants and bars (some of which will open because of this new ballpark), rather than in the current setup, where the only entity that benefits from gameday traffic is the Royals.
The impact on other cities and stadium negotiations
In a broader sense, if the plan comes to pass, it would leave only the Angels, White Sox, and Rays in need of a new ballpark. And as that number dwindles, the chance of MLB expansion increases, since the league and its teams always want to use the threat of relocation as leverage in stadium negotiations. Since MLB seems eager to expand to 32 teams, we’d expect to see much more urgency to discussions in Chicago, Anaheim, and Tampa in the next year.
Next Steps
The only thing locals may want to consider is whether they want priority access to specific seats in the new stadium. We assume that current season ticket holders will be given priority to select seats at the new ballpark, so if you think you’d want to do that, and you think you’d want a specific seat (like the front row), then you might want to consider becoming a season ticket holder in 2027. Even a partial plan may put you closer to the front of the line.
For visiting fans, well … you may be officially on the clock. If you haven’t been to Kauffman, or want to go back to see it before it’s gone, you tentatively have almost four full seasons to do so. But given MLB’s schedule structure, if you’re a fan of a National League team, it means you’ll only have a maximum of two opportunities to see your team play at the ballpark: either in 2026 and 2028, or 2027 and 2029, depending on which alternating year your team will be visiting.
TSI TIP: for Brewers fans, your team has already played its 2026 games at Kauffman, which means 2028 would be your final chance to see the Brew Crew play at Kauffman.
So if that’s you, we’d say that it’s time to get a trip to Kauffman on your schedule! To see the entire Kansas City entertainment calendar for this year, check out our Ultimate Sports Calendar.
