Kansas City Current CPKC Stadium expansion funding package nod

Article posted by Coliseum, July 7^th, 2026

From left: Patrick Mahomes, Brittany Mahomes, Chris Long and Angie Long (Images: KC Current & KC Current on Facebook)

When the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team Kansas City Current first built the CPKC Stadium they did so without any funding from the city. Now, as they plan to expand their stadium and the entertainment district, they want Kansas City (US) to help pay for the project.

‘kcur.org’ stated that the Kansas City Council took a step toward doing so on July 2^nd when it approved a $235 million funding package. The Kansas City Current plan to add 6,500 more seats to their stadium thus giving it a capacity of 18,000. They will also add a parking garage and more mixed-use development in the Current Landing district.

The Kansas City Current are an American professional soccer team based in Kansas City, Missouri (US) that competes in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). It was founded as an expansion team in 2021.

The 11,500-seat CPKC Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri (US) that serves as the home ground for the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL – the highest level of the United States soccer league system) team Kansas City Current.

The Current Landing district is an evolving, modern mixed-use waterfront district located in Kansas City, Missouri (US). Anchored by the CPKC Stadium the $1.4 billion neighborhood features over 450 residential apartments, 10+ new restaurants, a two-acre town square, and the waterfront promenades.

‘kcur.org’ further stated that the Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, who championed the deal, said he supports the public funding because the KC Current have been an integral part of transforming the riverfront. He said the Current have built up a neighborhood along the riverfront which used to be a landfill. The team also offered to guarantee the debt that the city takes on to ensure that the bond will continue to be paid off even if there are shortfalls.

‘Expansion Long Term’

Observed Mayor Lucas, “I think it’s going to continue to help us build out the riverfront in Kansas City long term. It is impressive that you have a team that invested not only in women’s sports but in an area of the city that was underinvested largely, that they have seen this level of success and that they’re continuing to see expansion long term.”

Public Funding Packages

This deal is the latest in a series of large public funding packages for the sports teams. In April, the city passed the beginnings of a deal to give the Major League Baseball (MLB) team Kansas City Royals $600 million for a $1.9 billion Crown Center ballpark. The city-backed deals have come after a wide majority of the voters rejected a 3/8^th-cent stadium sales tax for the Royals in 2024. That tax, which helps maintain the stadiums at the Truman Sports Complex (a 210-acre sports and entertainment facility in Kansas City, Missouri) will expire in 2031.

Tax Breaks

The July 2^nd ordinance would also give more tax breaks to the Current through the creation of a tax increment financing, or TIF, district. The TIF district could help the city pay off the $235 million bond by capturing new sales and earnings taxes in the Berkley Riverfront area.

The plan does not immediately approve the money for the KC Current. It instead directs the City Manager Mario Vasquez to negotiate with the team to reach a final deal. It also instructs Vasquez to apply for State tax breaks for the project.

Sell Out

The Current have long planned to expand the CPKC Stadium which opened in 2024 as the first stadium built for women’s sports. The team said at the City Council Committee meeting that the $1.4 billion project is necessary because the matches regularly sell out at the current 11,500-seat CPKC Stadium.

Privately Funded

The first phase of the team’s riverfront development was mostly privately funded. The Current did receive a $5.5 million tax credit from the Missouri’s Development Finance Board that went primarily toward infrastructure improvements.

‘Lasting Legacy’

In a statement, Angie and Chris Long, Co-Founders and Co-Owners of the Current, said the financing plan is an investment in Kansas City’s growth and “reflects this city’s ambition, inclusivity and global momentum. Today’s (July 3^rd) decision reflects the Kansas City’s belief in bold ideas and transformational projects. We are proud to continue investing in Kansas City’s future and grateful for the partnership that makes this next chapter possible. The success of the Current and the Riverfront benefit our entire community and we are honored to help create a lasting legacy for a city that has given so much to us.”

No Economic Benefit

The economists agree that the publicly funding stadiums does not give an economic benefit to the cities. Most of the time any money made in a new or renovated stadium isn’t new spending, it’s just moved to a new location.

City Council Response

The Council Members Johnathan Duncan and Nathan Willett were the only votes against the funding package. Duncan said he doesn’t believe the city should fund projects that would already happen without public investment.

Maintained Duncan, “We continue to pass projects that are incentive projects across the street from incentive projects that continue to redirect valuable resources. We got to ask what is the long-term fiscal responsibility for these incentives? When do the people of Kansas City realize the gains?”

Despite the City Council’s approval of the funding Duncan’s opposition sparked a wider conversation about how the city uses the incentives. The Council members pointed out that the incentives like this are not equally spread across Kansas City and that the fiscal benefits from the developments, if any, are only wrought decades later.

Council Member Andrea Bough, who chairs the Finance Committee, said the city does not currently have data to look back on the historical incentives and see whether they impact the city as a whole – “We can’t say how much economic development has provided in benefits to the city. That is information that we need to have so that we can make an educated decision on the projects moving forward. That’s something I hope that we will have soon.”

Loud, Crowded and Coveted

When Angie and Chris Long first decided to build a stadium for their National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team the Kansas City Current they didn’t exactly have a model to look to – every other franchise in the NWSL shared its home field with one or more men’s clubs. So, the new team owners took their inspiration from the intimate venues like the Duke University’s 9,314-seat Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina (US) settling on a capacity of 11,500 with the goal of creating a fan experience that was loud, crowded and coveted.

By the time the CPKC Stadium opened in March 2024 Kansas City had fallen in love with soccer and the NWSL was beginning to take off. The Current became the first team in the league history to sell out all of its home matches that year and now have a season ticket base of around 8,000 – more than four of the league’s 16 clubs are averaging in total attendance this year.

Downside of Success

The downside of that success: Many fans haven’t been able to get in the door. As robust as the army of season ticket holders is there are still more than 5,000 names on the waiting list and the number crunch leaves only a couple of thousand seats available for the single-game sales. Meanwhile, the stadium’s 12 luxury suites – all of which require long-term commitments – sold out in about two weeks.

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