KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Battle Line Rivalry will get a new battleground in 2020.
The annual college football game that pits Southeastern Conference rivals Missouri against Arkansas will be played at Arrowhead Stadium next year, the school announced Tuesday in conjunction with the Kansas City Chiefs.
"We are excited to bring the Tigers back to Kansas City for the 2020 Battle Line Rivalry game against Arkansas," MU athletic director Jim Sterk said in a statement. "Kansas City has provided Mizzou Football and the University with outstanding support over the years, and we know our fans will make Arrowhead a home away from home for the Tigers when we take the field against the Razorbacks in 2020."
The Tigers, who are 6-2 all-time in games at Arrowhead Stadium, are 4-1 against the Razorbacks since joining the SEC, including three straight wins in the series.
The 2019 game — which is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 29, the Friday after Thanksgiving — will be played in Little Rock, Arkansas. It once again serves as the regular-season finale for both teams.
The 2020 game currently is scheduled for the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but the date is subject to change.
"We appreciate the Kansas City Chiefs organization working with us to help bring Mizzou back to Kansas City, and I know our fans will be excited to see us play in Arrowhead Stadium again," Tigers coach Barry Odom said in a statement. "Allowing our kids the opportunity to play in one of the NFL's great stadiums is very valuable for their overall student-athlete experience at Mizzou, and having the chance to showcase our program around the state is important to us,"
Mizzou last played at Arrowhead Stadium in 2015, a 20-16 victory against BYU that was almost canceled due to a player boycott that drew national attention earlier in the week.
Prior to that, the Tigers played the Border War rivalry at Arrowhead Stadium in five consecutive seasons — 2007 through 2011.
Arrowhead was the site of one of the greatest victories in MU history.
The third-ranked Tigers toppled the second-ranked Jayhawks 36-28 during the 2007 Border War game, which drew the largest crowd in the stadium’s history (80,357).
Mizzou won four of five games against KU at Arrowhead, including a 24-10 victory in the final meeting of the series before the Tigers left for the SEC.
Missouri got crushed 62-21 by Oklahoma in the 2008 Big 12 Championship Game, one of five Big 12 title games played at Arrowhead.
Sterk announced in June 2017 that the Tigers, who beat Arkansas State at Arrowhead in 2005, would play a 2024 non-conference game against Boston College at Arrowhead, but that game has been moved back to campus.
Sterk said Tuesday that the agreement with the Chiefs was for two games, and the second game will be played by 2025.
