Arrowhead Stadium has always been one of the NFL’s most iconic venues. And next year, it’s going to host a major global tournament. While the Chiefs haven’t looked like themselves recently, their stadium is still doing what it always does, by turning into a place where the team finds its footing.

But next summer, the stadium will host something entirely different, and, frankly, a whole lot bigger. On Friday, FIFA held its World Cup Final Draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and Kansas City finally learned which national teams are headed its way for the 2026 tournament.

The draw slotted matchups from Groups E, F, and J into the schedule, and Arrowhead ended up with a compelling slate.

• Argentina vs. Algeria on June 16.
• Ecuador vs. Curaçao on June 20.
• Netherlands vs. Tunisia on June 25.
• Algeria vs. Austria on June 27.
• Two more games will be decided later.

It’s an eclectic mix, and more importantly, it gives Kansas City fans a realistic chance to watch Lionel Messi in what might be his final World Cup.

After the group stage wraps, the city will host a knockout-round game on July 3, featuring the winner of Group K and one of the top third-place finishers from Groups D, E, I, J, or L. It will be the biggest global event the city has ever staged, with more than a billion viewers expected to watch around the world.

And if you’d believe FIFA president Gianni Infantino, the scale is even larger than that.

“It’s much more than just a sporting event. It’s simply the greatest event that humanity, that mankind, has ever seen and will ever see,” he said.

So yes, Chiefs fans might be grinding their teeth over this season, but they also happen to live in one of the host cities for what will be the biggest sporting moment the United States has taken on in decades. Clark Hunt, CEO of the team, was at the draw on Friday, and he has got even bigger plans for Arrowhead Stadium.

The Chiefs contemplated an $800 million Arrowhead move

The Chiefs are still weighing their stadium future on both sides of the Kansas–Missouri line. One option is a major overhaul of Arrowhead Stadium, which is aging fast but still beloved. The other is a brand-new domed venue that could host every kind of marquee event, like a World Cup, of course.

Clark Hunt isn’t ready to put a timeline on anything yet. That’s fair. Whatever direction they choose will be expensive, complicated, and something the franchise will live with for decades. Both the Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals have played for more than five decades at the Truman Sports Complex, where Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium share parking facilities.

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So, one in the building wants to rush a decision of this scale.

Jackson County voters already struck down a sales-tax extension last year that would’ve helped pay for an $800 million Arrowhead renovation. And earlier this year, Kansas officials granted the Chiefs more time to lock down a state financing package. Another sign that a move across the border is very much on the table.

As of now, negotiations are going on both sides.

Either way, it’s shaping up to be an eventful stretch in Kansas City, between long-term stadium plans and a World Cup coming to town next summer. Interesting times ahead.