McDonald’s Grabs Naming Rights for New Chicago Fire Stadium

Joe Mansueto’s professional soccer team Chicago Fire FC sold the naming rights for its new, privately funded, $750 million stadium located at the 62-acre riverfront site known as The 78 to fast food giant McDonald’s.

The Major League Soccer team, which currently plays at the Chicago Bears’ Soldier Field, will be moving to the newly minted “McDonald’s Park” in 2028 after construction finishes. The new stadium, situated along the Chicago River just south of Roosevelt Road, is expected to open before the start of the 2028-2029 MLS season. The Fire’s new home will serve as the flagship anchor for Related Midwest’s expected $8 billion development of the former railroad property.

Financial terms of the sponsorship deal are still unknown, but according to Crain’s, the deal runs through 2040. McDonald’s addition to the stadium project is expected to add the hallmark golden arches outside of the stadium as well as a 20,000 square foot restaurant, accessible by foot both inside and outside the stadium.

Proposals for The 78 site have come and gone, but the Fire’s appears to have stuck. After watching the Chicago White Sox and The University of Illinois strike out at The 78, Mansueto was able to win zoning approval in September. Currently, the White Sox appear to be moving directly across the river from the site to Amtrak’s 47-acre 14th Street Coach Yard, but the soccer club is still considering making The 78 a two-stadium development. With the Fire’s staked location in the north half of the area, there would still be plenty of room for another stadium in the southern half, according to the publication.

The Fire’s move to The 78 appears to be financially the cleanest new sports stadium in Chicago, largely in part due to its private funding. The Chicago Bears were in a spat with the state’s politicians over proposed tax breaks and public funding ventures tied to its new suburban stadium bid for Arlington Heights, and current White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has previously sought $1 billion in subsidies to build their new stadium.

— Hunter Cooke