There will be plenty of empty seats when Kansas City kick off the new season and begin their Super Bowl title defence at Arrowhead Stadium on September 10 against the Houston Texans.

Both the Chiefs and Ravens plan to restrict the number of fans that will attend their home games due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The two AFC teams contacted their season ticket holders to inform them of the decision, giving them the option to defer their tickets to 2021.

The Ravens will let fewer than 14,000 fans to attend each game, due to social distancing guidelines, if the state and local governments allow fans to attend games.

Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium has a capacity of 71,008.

“To offer a proper level of safety for fans who want to attend games, a reduction in capacity is necessary,” Ravens president Dick Cass said in a statement.

“We are disappointed that this will be a disruption for many ticket buyers, but we have an obligation to our fans and our community to keep M&T Bank Stadium as safe as possible.”

The Chiefs, who have one of the NFL’s largest stadiums with a seating capacity of over 75,000, did not put a number on how many fans they will permit, but they plan to sell reduced-capacity tickets for the first few games. The hope is then local regulations will allow for more fans to attend as the season progresses.

“People around the country and around the world are getting accustomed to a constantly changing environment and the same goes for all of us in Chiefs Kingdom,” Chiefs president Mark Donovan said.

“While our goal all offseason was to have a full stadium as we begin our Super Bowl title defence, it is out of consideration of the health and safety of our fans, employees, coaches and players that we move forward with a reduced-capacity plan that adheres to local guidelines and expert recommendations.

“While it will be a different experience for everyone, we are looking forward to welcoming fans to Arrowhead this fall.”

Both Kansas City and Baltimore have been two of the toughest stadiums for opponents to win, as the Chiefs and Ravens are tied for having the NFL’s second-best home record over the past four seasons at 24-8.

Only the New England Patriots have a better home record at 26-6.

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