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June 9, 2025KANSAS CITY, Ks.

Northwest, Pitt State to meet at Children's Mercy Park in 2025 and 2026

Children's Mercy Park will host Northwest and Pittsburg State football this November.

Children's Mercy Park will host Northwest and Pittsburg State football this November. (Photo courtesy Sporting KC)

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Northwest Missouri State football will return to the Kansas City Metro this fall.

The Bearcats will face longtime MIAA rival Pittsburg State on November 15 at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. It marks the 14th meeting between Northwest and Pitt in Kansas City, with the previous 13 played at Arrowhead Stadium.

Bearcat director of athletics, Dr. Andy Peterson, cites the history with the Gorillas and the chance to play in Kansas City as catalysts for the rivalry game returning to a neutral site.

"We tried on our own with Washburn, with Central Missouri," Peterson said. "We hosted a game at Arrowhead against Pitt, but it's always just kind of been something that had been out there. (Pittsburg State athletic director) Jim Johnson and I got together and said 'hey, is this something we want to revisit again?' And everybody said 'yeah.' It doesn't make sense not to."

The Northwest football program has played two games at Children's Mercy Park, Sporting KC's home pitch, winning the 2015 and 2016 national championships there.

A total of four NCAA Division 2 National Championships were played at Sporting KC's venue through 2017, but they stepped away from hosting the title game in 2018 to do field renovations.

When Kansas football moved two of its home games to Children's Mercy Park last year due to stadium updates in Lawrence, Peterson saw it as a potential landing spot for the MIAA matchup.

"Them hosting the KU games last year really set alarm bells off that 'hey, this could be real.' And then with it being the last game of the regular season the next two years kind of falls in with the FIFA blackout dates that they have. But all of that stuff comes into play just with their playoffs, the MLS playoffs, the World Cup. Fortunate that everything was able to be ironed out and we can play football in Kansas City."

This year's game was scheduled to be a Pittsburg State home game, while the 2026 meeting will occupy what would've been a home date for Northwest.