2024 Kansas football schedule: Jayhawks set to play home games at Chiefs' Arrowhead as David Booth Memorial Stadium undergoes renovation
Kansas released its 2024 football schedule, and with Booth Stadium under renovation, the Jayhawks will host home games at two alternate locations, one being Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs.
Kansas will play four league games at Arrowhead, including home games against Colorado, TCU, Iowa State, and Houston. Kansas' two non-conference home games (against UNLV and FCS opponent Lindenwood) will be played at Children's Mercy Park, which is home to the soccer team Sporting Kansas City.
Renovations at Booth Stadium of Jayhawks
David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, where Kansas usually plays home games, was built in 1921, making it one of the oldest stadiums still in use. Built as a memorial to World War I casualties, "the Booth," as it is known, is undergoing a massive facelift. In 2017, Kansas announced the impending upgrade, with a $50 million gift from alum David Booth leading the project.
Booth Stadium had an official capacity of 47,233 in its old arrangement, which ranked 64th largest in NCAA FBS football in 2023. Renovations will include adding club seating, putting chairback seats on the west and north sides of the stadium, and expanding the university's football complex.
Those changes should be ready for the 2025 season, but with parts of the stadium already demolished, Kansas needed alternate venues for 2024.
The Jayhawks averaged 45,888 in home attendance in 2023, with four capacity crowds in seven home games.
Kansas City Chiefs' home, Arrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium has served as the home of the Kansas City Chiefs since 1972. The venue was established following the NFL/AFL merger in the late 1960s, and the stadium has served the Chiefs for more than five decades, undergoing three renovations and two expansions.
Arrowhead has a capacity of 76,416. The stadium is located on the east side of Kansas City, Missouri, and will involve about a 50-mile drive from Booth Stadium and KU's campus (as well as crossing state lines).
Kansas will play at Arrowhead Stadium against TCU (September 28), Houston (October 19), Iowa State (November 9), and Colorado (November 23).
Sporting Kansas City's home, Children's Mercy Park
Children's Mercy Park, which will host a pair of Kansas games, was built for the MLS Sporting Kansas City club. The team was a charter member of the MLS in 1996, and while the team's administrative offices are located in Kansas City, Missouri, the stadium was built in Kansas and opened in 2011. The current name was added in 2015 as a partnership with Children's Mercy Hospital.
Children's Mercy Park seats a capacity of 18,467 for soccer but has a capacity of up to 25,000 for concerts. The stadium is only about 30 miles from Booth Stadium and Kansas's campus.
Kansas will play at Children's Mercy Park against FCS Lindenwood (August 29) and UNLV (September 14).