The Kansas City Royals are telling fans to get to Kauffman Stadium early Thursday night, when the St. Louis Cardinals visit to open the teams’ annual series. Parking is tighter than usual, and the club says some fans may have to park farther away and walk in.
The warning centers on Parking Lots E and D, along with sections of Lots G, F and C, which are not available for the game. The Royals posted a parking map on their website and said fans should allow extra time getting to the ballpark for the 6:40pm central time first pitch.
That matters because this series is one of the most-attended on the Royals’ schedule, and the club is trying to keep the flow moving even with fewer nearby spaces. A spokesperson said, “We just ask fans to come a bit earlier than usual, since they may have to walk in from a further lot,” while the team also said its normal fan safety screening process will still be in place.
The parking limit is landing at a time when the Truman Sports Complex is already operating around World Cup match planning, a setup that changes the way traffic and access work on game days. The club also said Wednesday night that Team England will be welcomed to the club on Thursday, with England using Kansas City as its home base during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
That makes Thursday night more than a routine division-series opener. Noah Cameron starts for the Royals, Matthew Liberatore goes for the Cardinals, and fans who want to be in their seats by first pitch will need to budget for a longer approach than usual.
