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Sporting Kansas City has announced that its Major League Soccer match against Inter Miami will take place at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, amid heightened interest in the fixture caused by Lionel Messi.
Messi’s Inter Miami will travel to Sporting KC on April 13. The match had originally been due to take place at Sporting KC’s Children’s Mercy Park, which has a capacity of around 18,500.
The match has now been moved to the much larger Arrowhead Stadium, which has a capacity of 76,000, so Sporting KC can maximise attendance. Tickets for the match will start at a hefty $65 (£51/€59).
Messi joined Inter Miami last year and his arrival in MLS contributed to the league posting a new regular-season attendance record. A total of 10,900,904 fans attended games in 2023, averaging out at 22,111 per match.
Inter Miami’s attendances at DRV PNK Stadium rose by 38%, and ticket prices skyrocketed amid the demand to watch the Argentine superstar. Inter Miami has since organised matches in Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia as it seeks to tap into the global appeal of the former Barcelona player.
Sporting KC season ticket holders will have access to an exclusive pre-sale for additional tickets to April’s match. The tickets will be available at a discounted rate.
Sporting KC president and chief executive Jake Reid said: “This match has generated an unprecedented amount of interest since Major League Soccer released our schedule less than three weeks ago.
“We believe this will be the biggest event in Kansas City this spring and we are proud to partner with Arrowhead Events to provide an incredible experience for our fans and our team. The opportunity to host this match, which is set to be Lionel Messi’s first MLS match in the Midwest, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium is especially exciting as our region prepares to host Copa America matches this summer and FIFA World Cup matches in 2026.”
Mark Donovan, president of the Chiefs and Arrowhead Events, added: “The Arrowhead Events team is excited to open up GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium to host our friends from Sporting KC for their match against Inter Miami CF this spring.
“The venue remains one of the top destinations and experiences for fans of all sports. The interest and demand for this match is extremely high, and we know that both clubs, their supporters, and viewers will enjoy experiencing this unique soccer match played at the home of the Chiefs.”
Sporting KC played more than 200 matches at Arrowhead Stadium during the club’s first 12 seasons, from 1996 to 2007, but last played at the venue in 2010 when it welcomed Manchester United for a friendly.
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