America has only had Title IX equality rules for about 50 years, but if you think about how far human history goes back, surely there had to be a women’s sport in the last 1,000 years that resulted in a venue built especially for it? The Kansas City Current have repeated the following accolade during the two years of construction that preceded it and we’ve never seen a historian challenge them on it, so let’s just say this arena is both highly anticipated and long overdue.
CPKC is the first sports stadium built exclusively for a pro women’s team in the history of the world. Period.
After two different NWSL teams in Kansas City and after 11 years of league growth, the completion of this stadium is a crown jewel for the NWSL and the sport itself. To be honest, this stadium is one reason why we started this project: When we heard it was opening for the 2024 season we looked for early reviews of what the grounds and the atmosphere would be like and didn't see anything beyond promotional content from the KC Current team itself. And while we love the KC Current squad, we wanted to know what it was like ourselves before recommending it to others.
We were delighted when CPKC Stadium was chosen to host the 2024 NWSL Championships and although the Current didn’t get into that final game, the stadium still sold-out as local fans welcomed the visiting squads with open arms.
It’s a brand-new venue going into its third year now, with room for 11,500 fans in a beautiful spot right next to the Missouri River, just down the road from downtown Kansas City. Let’s talk about how you can visit this milestone of a venue and have a good time in the Midwest while you’re there.
Stadium information
CPKC stadium’s development began in late 2021, with team owners working predominantly with women-owned and women-led construction companies over a two-year period before its first NWSL match kicked off in March 2024. Most concession stands are linked to locally owned KC businesses, with many of those owned and operated by women as well.
One unique aspect of CPKC is that it is the only NWSL stadium in 2024 that eliminated all plastic, single-use bottles on its grounds. If that doesn’t seem like a big deal, think about 10,000 or more fans at each game, drinking a bottle or two of water or soda and think about how many tons of plastic garbage is prevented at every match played at this stadium. Thankfully, other teams are experimenting with ways to reduce their plastic trash generated at games, but only CPKC Stadium went all-in on the idea.
Where to sit
With its steep sides, CPKC is on the smaller side of NWSL stadiums, so every seat has a pretty good vantage point at a match. If you stick to the left side of the figure above, in sections 100 to 111 and 200 to 209, those seats are along the western side of the arena and offer the most shade and weather coverage. Early and late afternoon games will see much more sun on the eastern side, in sections 123 to 133 and 223 to 232. At summer evening matches, being on the eastern side means you’ll have the setting sun shining directly in your eyes until it dips below the horizon by halftime or so.
Much like the Bay Area’s PayPal Park and Washington D.C.’s Audi Field, there is no walking path between sections halfway up the stadium, so you’ll have to take a long walk up to your seats from the very bottom row. Thankfully, at our game there were concession staff walking around with drinks and snacks for sale so you didn’t have to make the long journey down if you got thirsty during the game.
Three sides of the pitch have an overhanging roof to provide coverage from rain and sun, with the side closest to the river uncovered. Most seats are plastic and fairly close together, though some sections offer mesh seats with a bit more legroom (like rows 1 to 4 in the 200 sections on the west side) and the prices usually reflect that.
- Sections 100–111 and 200–209 on the west side get the most shade and weather coverage — best for day games
- Steep sides mean almost every seat has a great sightline — there are no bad spots in this stadium
- Rows 1–4 in the 200 sections on the west side have mesh seats with extra legroom — worth the small price bump
- There's no mid-level walkway, so bring what you need before sitting — concession staff do walk the aisles with drinks and snacks
What to eat and drink
Kansas City is famous for its food culture and thankfully all kinds of local cuisine are represented at CPKC. Joe’s Kansas City BBQ has a stand selling a brisket sandwich that was one of the best things we ate at any stadium, period. There are local ice cream chains with scoops and concretes, local juice spots with cold-pressed drinks and bowls, as well as other local bars and grills offering meat dishes. There’s a wide variety of additional cuisine like Thai and Mexican food from local restaurant chains as well.
Food quality was high throughout the stadium, and given that every home game in the first season here was sold out, we were surprised by the lack of lines. The stadium went to great lengths to make sure there were enough concession stands around to make it easy to grab a drink or a bite to eat.
At every concession stand, if you buy a soda or a mixed cocktail you’ll get a refillable, reusable plastic cup to use throughout the game, with special containers to gather them for washing and reuse after a match. Items like water and alcohol are served in aluminum cans and bottles, which go into recycling bins post-match.
Alcoholic drinks were easy to find at several bars and there were special mixed cocktails in the team’s colors available at our game. About the only dig we had against CPKC’s concessions was there weren’t enough soda machines for everyone’s refillable cups. Each side of the stadium had just one or two soda stations, so at halftime, the lines for refills quickly grew very long. At Gotham’s Sports Illustrated Stadium, they also offer soda in refillable cups, but there they had at least a dozen soda refill stations all around the stadium making it quicker and easier for everyone to use.
Team merchandise, accessibility, restrooms, and pre-game activities
The team store for the KC Current was easily the best we’ve experienced at any NWSL stadium in 2024. It’s in a big venue with two stories of shopping. The first floor has casual wear like T-shirts, scarves, and jackets while the second story is dedicated to replica player jerseys.
Most NWSL stadiums tend to offer replica team jerseys with the names of their top two or three players, ready to buy and any other player you want requires a custom order.
The team store at CPKC sold team jerseys for every player on the entire team, in a range of sizes, in both home and away colors. No other team does this.
It was simply remarkable and probably why most people in the stadium were wearing teal and red kits. It was great to see a team store go so far above and beyond and we’ve never seen anything like it anywhere else.
For accessible seating, we spotted areas near the Yeti Bar along the river, and at each of the bottom corners of the main stadium sections.
Being that we attended a sold-out game, it was one of the few venues that had long lines at both the men’s and women’s restrooms (yay for equality!). We hope they remedy this in any future stadium expansions. Other than the crowds, the facilities offered good privacy and were easy to get in and out of, but there just weren’t enough options for the at-full-capacity crowd every weekend, especially at halftime.
There were pre-game activities and pop-up tents outside the ticketing areas that acted as a fan zone, but with every home game sold out, we gathered in long lines to get inside the venue as soon as we could before kickoff.
Pre-game, in-game, and post-game vibes
Pre-game, the crowds were big and jovial and there was a palpable buzz as we walked around grabbing food and drinks before the game. At our match they honored “The 85er’s,” which was a group of players on the original U.S. Women’s National Team that began in Kansas City in the 1980s. There were autograph tables with past USWNT stars like Kristen Hamilton taking photos and signing posters for fans.
In-game vibes were the closest that any other stadium came to the noise and energy levels found in Portland’s Providence Park, with equally large supporter areas singing, playing band instruments, and cheering loudly. They had half a dozen chants that everyone in the crowd seemed to know all the words to; there were videos displayed whenever someone was subbed in or made a great play; and when goals were scored, a real train horn blew full blast while fireworks and lights accompanied post-goal celebrations. For a new venue, it’s impressive how electric the atmosphere already feels. From the moment we entered the stadium until we headed home, we felt like we were at the biggest, loudest, most fun party in Kansas City.
Post-game vibes were good, and the stadium played post-match press conferences on the big screens if you lingered around. The team walked a large lap around the stadium and greeted fans at the bottom of sections all along the way, signing items.
If you’re looking for autographs, being at the bottom of the stands above the player benches on the west side, between sections 105 and 106, is probably your best chance at interacting with players after a match. We also saw a lot of KC players engaging with fans at the southern end goal area, close to the entrance to the stadium.
- The closest atmosphere to Portland's Providence Park you'll find anywhere in the league — loud, electric, and party-like from start to finish
- Supporters sections sing full chants, play instruments, and seem to know every word — the crowd energy is remarkable for a stadium in its first few seasons
- Goals trigger a real train horn, fireworks, and a full light show — it's the most theatrical goal celebration in the NWSL
- Post-game the team does a full lap around the stadium greeting fans, and press conferences play on the big screens if you stick around
- Games sell out fast — buy tickets and parking passes well in advance, and skip game-day parking ($65+) by walking the river path or taking the new light rail stop right outside the stadium
Getting there
Flying in
Kansas City is a pretty big Midwestern destination city and finding direct flights shouldn’t be too difficult. An additional benefit is that Kansas is close to the exact center of the continental U.S., so flights don’t take too long from anywhere else in the country.
Renting a car or going car-free
Kansas City is a bit of a sprawling metro area with a big downtown and tons of cool neighborhoods. If you’re visiting for more than a couple days, you’ll probably want a car to get around and take it all in. If you’re sticking to downtown and don’t mind dropping money on Uber or Lyft rides, it is possible to enjoy the city car-free. We’ve visited KC several times over the years and only our last short weekend trip was done car-free, but it’s worth noting that our 5 a.m. Uber ride from downtown KC to the airport to fly home cost $120, which made no sense.
Driving in
There are two parking lots for games but they fill up pretty fast and you need to buy parking passes ahead of time in the SeatGeek app – but keep in mind they can be expensive on game day. We took a quick look on the morning of our match and saw parking spots selling for $65 each. If you can, opt for public transit or take an electric scooter that rideshare companies offer in KC, and you’ll save a bundle.
Taking public transit
Kansas City has a light-rail system that connects most of its downtown areas, and the good news is that in late 2025, the city finally opened a new stop right outside of CPKC Stadium.
At our 2024 game, the city had a free shuttle bus from downtown to the stadium and back, but there was a line filled with hundreds of people after a game. We figured it would take a while to get a seat so we opted to walk the two miles back to downtown proper on the lovely river walk path.
Where to stay
Downtown Kansas City has loads of hotels around its train station, convention center, and multiple stadiums. We found great cheap options that were only a couple miles from the stadium in the Power and Light neighborhood, which was similar to San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, where many restaurants and bars are located. On weekends, streets in this neighborhood are frequently closed to cars to make it easier to walk around.
The area around the stadium is currently being developed and there is now a brand new boutique hotel right next to the parking lots, built about halfway through the 2024 season. It looked like a great place to stay and made for an easy walk to CPKC, but if you stay there, be sure to have a rental car because you’d probably be driving to restaurants since the area surrounding the stadium is still largely vacant land. The area across the river, north of the stadium is another up-and-coming hip neighborhood that will be worth exploring and considering for hotels too.
Kansas City is a big place with options all over, it just depends on what else you’ve got planned for your trip, and during past trips we’ve ended up on the Kansas State side of town with no complaints about lodging.
What to do in Kansas City (besides watch soccer)
Our first trip to KC was in 2019, but we’ve been back a few times and loved every trip. We had no idea what to expect, but Kansas City is a cool place with much of the same feel as Austin, Texas, or Portland, Oregon. There are tons of great food options, fun things to do, and plenty of old parts of town being adopted by artists and craftspeople making cool stuff.
Food
Kansas City is ground zero for great barbeque and honestly as West Coast kids growing up, we never really got to experience “real” barbeque until we tried it on trips to Texas, KC, and elsewhere in the South. There are half a dozen famous KC barbeque restaurants, with Joe’s BBQ at the top, but we frequently go to Q39 because it usually doesn’t have a two-hour-long wait for a table. The burnt ends and brisket we’ve had at KC restaurants are incredible and better than any we’ve had nationwide. Be sure to save one of your meals for barbeque, and try out Joe’s, Q39, Gates (fast, casual-type barbeque), or Jack Shack (more of a high-end experience).
KC also has great Asian and Mexican places all over town and one of our favorite fine-dining experiences there was at The Antler Room, headed by a chef that worked at Noma, one of the world’s best fine dining restaurants.
When we’re staying downtown, we love the casual bars and grills all over like Rockhill Grille. And every trip to KC would not be complete without grabbing lunch at the best place with the most variety of options, the City Market. Much like a food hall, City Market features stores and adjoining restaurants from dozens of cultures. You can get amazing Middle Eastern food, Italian deli sandwiches, and Vietnamese among many other cuisine options.
Museums
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art has an incredible collection and it’s all housed in a beautiful building. Each time we visit we enjoy seeing the art inside and out, including a new environmental sculpture from Andy Goldsworthy as well as frequent exhibits that highlight Black artists.
The Union Station area of downtown is also worth a visit as more of a “living museum” that’s been restored to its full art deco glory and trains still come and go from its location. It’s also surrounded by a science museum and planetarium and has a bunch of interesting art sculptures and art installations on its grounds.
Explore the neighborhoods
The Power and Light District of KC is famous for nightlife, with tons of bars and restaurants. When you’re there, don’t miss a visit to No Other Pub, a sports bar owned by the Sporting KC soccer team that has huge crowds during games.
Another spot worth checking out: the West Bottoms area of KC is the former home of industrial companies and institutions, and these days it’s the cool warehouse district with tons of antique stores that rewards anyone going there for an afternoon stroll with cool, random shops to pop into.
Be sure to check out the jazz and blues clubs all around the city as well. “The Kansas City Sound” goes back to the 1920s and there’s still quite a scene to support live music venues in KC. You’ll be impressed by the quality of musicians who show up to even the smallest of clubs on a weeknight and we’ve never had a bad time going out to enjoy live jazz.
- KC barbecue is the real deal — Joe's Kansas City BBQ is the pinnacle, Q39 is nearly as good with a shorter wait, and Gates is great for fast casual
- The City Market is the best single stop for variety — Middle Eastern, Vietnamese, Italian deli, and dozens more under one roof
- The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is world-class and free
- Union Station has been restored to full art deco glory and still runs trains
- Kansas City's jazz scene goes back to the 1920s — even small clubs on a weeknight deliver surprisingly great live music
CPKC Stadium is unlike any other both in terms of what it means for the sport of women’s soccer, and for the electric party atmosphere you’ll enjoy at every game. They’re trying to do everything right and coming close to a perfect fan experience. The only downsides are from being so popular that every match is sold out. They can only go up from here, but they’ve already set a high bar after the first year and we can’t wait to see what the future has in store. Kansas City is a vibrant, fun place to visit and you’ll have a fantastic time traveling there for a match..
