The Kansas football team’s season opener against Fresno State on Saturday at 5:30 p.m., which will be the first game in the revamped David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, has sold out.
KU Athletics announced the news on Wednesday afternoon, while also revealing for the first time this season’s official capacity for the stadium, following the completion of the first phase of the Gateway project: 41,525.
That is consistent with athletic director Travis Goff’s prior assertions that capacity would be slightly above 40,000. It is down from the past number of 47,233 in the stadium’s previous iteration, and will certainly change again in future seasons as KU proceeds with the second phase of its project, which will be primarily concerned with the still-unrenovated east end.
Albeit now at the slightly lower capacity, this is the eighth sellout of Lance Leipold’s tenure at head coach. KU sold out David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium for three games early in the 2022 season, then for five in 2023. Prior to that, the Jayhawks had sold out the venue just once since 2009.
KU played its games at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan., and at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., during the 2024 season while David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium was under construction. The Jayhawks also sold out Children’s Mercy Park, which has a capacity of just over 20,000, for their two games played there. (KU plans to remain in its home stadium with some sort of reduced capacity on the east side during future phases of construction, officials have said.)
In its press release announcing Saturday’s sellout, KU Athletics encouraged fans still seeking to see the game to purchase tickets on the secondary market via SeatGeek. The game will also be nationally televised on Fox.
