It has a seating capacity of 76,, making it the 25th-largest stadium in the United States and the fourth-largest NFL stadium. It is also the largest sports facility by capacity in the state of Missouri. The stadium is scheduled to host matches for the FIFA World Cup and has hosted college football games, as well as other soccer games. They originally shared the stadium with the Kansas City Athletics of Major League Baseball , but the Athletics relocated to Oakland, California, after the season, with the expansion Kansas City Royals being added in Municipal Stadium, built in and mostly rebuilt in , seated approximately 35, for football, but as part of the AFLβNFL merger announced in , NFL stadiums would henceforth be required to seat no fewer than 50, people.
The loss of the A's was a shock to local sports fans an community leaders and there was a growing sense that government subsidy of a stadium complex would be necessary to keep major league baseball and professional football in the city.
When Kansas City was unable to find a suitable location for a new stadium, Jackson County stepped in and offered a location on the eastern edge of town near the interchange of Interstate 70 and Interstate The original design called for construction of side-by-side baseball and football stadiums with a common roof that would roll between them.
The Chiefs staff, led by team general manager Jack Steadman , helped develop the complex. Construction began in The original two-stadium concept was initially designed by Denver architect Charles Deaton and Steadman. The baseball and football stadiums have a very different appearance, but share utilities, parking, and underground storage. Plans to have covered stadiums were dropped, leaving two open-air stadiums.
Lamar Hunt included an owner's suite, complete with three bedrooms, bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room, to the design of the football stadium. To increase seating while limiting the stadium's footprint, the upper sections were placed at a steep incline which cannot be replicated in modern stadiums due to accessibility regulations. Arrowhead Stadium is considered by some to have had an influence on the design of several future NFL stadiums.
