The city of Kansas City has offered the Kansas City Royals $600 million to build their new stadium in downtown Kansas City, per the Kansas City Star.
The stadium would be built in the Crown Center area of Kansas City, and would cost $1.9 billion, which would be a part of a new $3 billion entertainment district in the area.
Crown Center is one mile south of the very popular Power and Light District in Kansas City, which is home to the T-Mobile Center and KC Live. The Finance, Governance, and Public Safety Committee will meet on Tuesday to discuss the funding and rezoning, according to Fox 4 in Kansas City.
A new ballpark has been in the works for both the Royals and the Kansas City Chiefs. The possibility of both teams relocating out of Missouri and just across the border into Kansas was real, but now the Royals look to be sticking in Kansas City, while the Chiefs are still expected to hop across the border to Wyandotte County, Kansas.
Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe signed the Show-Me Sports Investment Act into law in 2025 to keep both teams from leaving the state for Kansas. Now, the Royals' stadium is expected to receive $1.14 billion in public funding for their new stadium, with a mix of city funds, tax credits, and bonds.
The Royals' new stadium would be on the smaller side, seating just 34,000-35,000 fans. Kauffman Stadium currently has an official capacity of 37,903.
The new build would provide much more character and economic benefit for the city compared to the current arrangement. The Royals and Chiefs play in one of the more lifeless, uninspiring locations of any MLB or NFL stadium. Not only is there no effort to integrate the stadiums into the life and energy of the downtown area, but there is also very little economic development or an entertainment district near either stadium. They are both smack dab in the middle of a very, very big parking lot.
This new arrangement would accomplish both infusing the downtown of Kansas City and creating an entertainment district for a better fan experience and more economic gain for the city, which is likely why the city itself is so eager to provide just under a third of the funding for the stadium. The projected groundbreaking could be in early 2027, with the goal of playing opening day in the new park in 2030.
The new stadium will have the chance to host young, star players like Bobby Witt Jr. and Jac Caglianone as they try to lead the Royals back to consistent postseason contention.