Kansas City Chiefs close to leaving Arrowhead Stadium for new home in Kansas

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs appear to be mere days away from taking a big step toward a move across the state line, and eventually leaving their longtime home at Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri for a new and likely covered stadium in Kansas.

With a year-end deadline approaching, the Legislative Coordinating Council is scheduled to meet Monday in Topeka, Kansas, where it will consider approving STAR bonds that would fund up to 70% of a stadium project to help lure the NFL franchise to the state.

The Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals have played for more than 50 years in side-by-side stadiums in Jackson County, Missouri. But those leases are due to expire in January 2031, and the two franchises have been working for years on their future plans.

Voters in Jackson County soundly defeated a local sales tax extension last year that would have helped to finance an $800 million renovation of Arrowhead and a $2 billion ballpark district for the Royals in downtown Kansas City. Since then, the Chiefs and Royals have pursued separate plans, though momentum appears to be growing behind both of them moving to Kansas.

The likely destination for the Chiefs is The Legends, a regional shopping mall and commercial area in Kansas City, Kansas. There is plenty of land available for a stadium and mixed-use commercial district, but it also has anchors in place, such as Kansas Speedway, the Hollywood Casino and Children's Mercy Park, the home of Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City.

The location is also ideal because it stands at the crossroads of Interstates 70 and 435, allowing for relatively easy traffic flow.

“The state of Kansas is in active discussions with the Kansas City Chiefs about the prospects of building a new stadium and other facilities in Kansas,” the Kansas Department of Commerce said in a statement. “No final agreement has been reached, but this would be a massive economic win for Kansas and benefit Kansans for generations to come. We are aggressively pursuing this opportunity.”

It would also be a massive loss for Missouri, which lost the St. Louis Rams to Los Angeles a decade ago, and Gov. Mike Kehoe. He had backed a special legislative session in June to authorize bonds covering up to 50% of the cost of new or renovated stadiums, plus up to $50 million of tax credits for each stadium and unspecified aid from local governments.

Missouri's move came after Kansas lawmakers had approved their own bond package in an attempt to land the two franchises.

Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt has long said that his preference would be to renovated Arrowhead Stadium, which was beloved by his father and team founder, the late Lamar Hunt. But by building an enclosed facility, the Chiefs would have access to revenue streams not available at Arrowhead Stadium, such as new luxury seating and the ability to host year-round sporting events.

That could mean fulfilling another dream of Lamar Hunt: hosting a Super Bowl.

While the Royals will not be discussed during the LCC meeting Monday, that doesn't mean they couldn't be moving across the state line as well. There is a groundswell of support for the team to move to the suburb of Overland Park, Kansas, and a tract of land known as the Aspiria Campus that once served as the headquarters for Sprint and now houses the offices of several companies.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, who has been working to keep both of the professional sports franchises on the Missouri side of the state line, issued a statement Thursday night saying that the city doesn’t negotiate in public.

“As the city and our Missouri partners continue discussions with our long-term partners at the Chiefs and the Royals," the statement read, “we remain steadfast in working toward an arrangement in the best interest of our community and the greatest success of our teams on and off the field.”

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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) scrambles as Los Angeles Chargers safety Tony Jefferson (23) defends during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. (AP) — Lauren Coughlin continued her strong play at Shadow Creek even in windy conditions Friday that played havoc with the second-round scores at the Aramco Championship to shoot a 3-under 69 and open a five-shot lead.

Coughlin was 8 under. Hyo Joo Kim kept alive her hopes for a third straight LPGA Tour tournament victory, shooting 73 to match Leona Maguire (71) at 3 under.

Coughlin entered the day in a three-way tie for the lead after opening with a 67, but now has created clear separation. She nearly won here last year when it was a match-play event before falling to Madelene Sagstrom in the final pairing.

Now Coughlin is close again. Even with a sizable lead, though, she isn't ready to celebrate.

“There is a lot of golf to be played,” Coughlin said. “As you can see, you can make big numbers really easily. So just try to stick to what I’ve been doing the last two days and see what happens.”

Wind gusts of 20 mph and higher made for a difficult round. A day after 26 players posted red numbers, that total was 11 on Friday, making the picturesque but demanding course almost hidden from the lights of the Las Vegas Strip even more difficult.

“It’s almost bordering on a U.S. Open-style setup,” Maguire said. “You see how few people are under par. It feels a little bit like a major without being a major.”

Miyu Yamashita got to experience that full effect. Sitting at 5 under with two holes to play, she went in the water on the par-3 17th and then took three shots to get on the green. The triple bogey put her at 2 under with second-ranked Nelly Korda (74) and Nanna Koerstz Madsen (70).

Korda, who won this event two years ago, struggled over the final nine in the second round. She bogeyed two holes and had a double on the par-4 first.

The top 20 players in the world signed up for the Aramco Championship, no doubt attracted to the $4 million purse in the first year that this tournament is strictly stroke play. This event is co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour.

Coughlin birdied Nos. 7, 8, 10 and 12, holing a 50-foot putt on No. 8. But she bogeyed the par-4 14th and 15th to halt her momentum and bring her back to the field. Coughlin then rolled in a 25-foot putt on the par-5 16th for an especially timely birdie.

“Yeah, definitely kind of helped smooth things out there towards the end,” Coughlin said. “Felt like I was playing good, especially those two holes before that. I think the easiest way to describe this golf course, especially when it gets windy, it’s so easy to make bogey. One little thing and you’re making bogey. Maybe even worse.”

Amelia Garvey made the largest leap, answering an opening 79 with a 69 even with a triple bogey on the par-3 17th. That got her to 4 over, enough to make the cut of 7 over.

“I actually played really well yesterday,” Garvey said. “I just couldn’t putt. Was putting a bit like Stevie Wonder out there.”

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Nelly Korda hits from a bunker on the 14th hole during the first round of the Aramco Championship golf tournament Thursday, April 2, 2026, in North Las Vegas, Nev. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

Lauren Coughlin hits an approach shot on the ninth hole during the first round of the Aramco Championship LPGA golf tournament, Thursday, April 2, 2026, in North Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)