McDonald's to Name Chicago Fire Stadium

McDonald’s and Chicago Fire FC said on May 13 that the fast-food company has secured naming rights to the club’s new $750 million stadium in Chicago, which will be called McDonald’s Park when it opens in 2028. The venue is being built at The 78, a riverfront development in the South Loop, and the club has said it will be privately funded. McDonald’s described the agreement as its first naming-rights partnership for a major professional sports stadium in the United States. (corporate.mcdonalds.com) Chicago Fire owner Joe Mansueto has been developing the project as the club’s long-term home after years at Soldier Field. (chicagofirefc.com) ### How big is the stadium project McDonald’s is attaching its name to? Chicago Fire FC has put the stadium cost at $750 million and said the venue will seat more than 22,000 fans. The club said the open-air building will have a natural grass field, a 360-degree viewing design, premium hospitality areas and a supporters’ section built for about 2,000 fans on safe-standing bleachers. Joe Mansueto, the club’s owner and chairman, is financing the stadium privately, according to the team. Chicago Fire FC said in March that Mansueto has committed more than $1 billion to the club since taking full ownership in 2019, including the stadium and the $100 million Endeavor Health Performance Center. (corporate.mcdonalds.com) ### Where will McDonald’s Park be built? The 78 development sits along the Chicago River just south of Roosevelt Road, according to the club’s project materials. Chicago Fire FC said the stadium will anchor the 62-acre Related Midwest development and serve as the club’s permanent home. (chicagofirefc.com) Chicago City Council approved the privately funded stadium project on Sept. 25, 2025, the club said. The team has described the development as the first major stadium project approved in Chicago in more than three decades. (chicagofirefc.com) ### What does McDonald’s get in the deal besides the name? McDonald’s said the partnership will extend beyond signage and include a permanent flagship McDonald’s restaurant at the stadium. The company also said it will help shape fan experiences, creative elements and in-game moments at the venue. (chicagofirefc.com) The companies said the stadium will be used year-round for Chicago Fire home matches, concerts, cultural programming and community events. McDonald’s said the agreement will also support a stadium-wide Round-Up campaign for Ronald McDonald House and an expansion of the Fire’s P.L.A.Y.S. program to more than 280 under-resourced Chicago Public Schools and more than 125,000 students. (chicagofirefc.com) ### Why is this a first for McDonald’s? McDonald’s said in its announcement that this is the company’s first-ever naming-rights partnership for a major professional sports stadium in the United States. (corporate.mcdonalds.com) The company framed the deal as a long-term partnership between two Chicago-based brands. MLS also described the agreement as a landmark naming-rights partnership for the club’s new home. The league said the venue will open in 2028 as McDonald’s Park. (corporate.mcdonalds.com) ### How far along is the project now? Chicago Fire FC broke ground on the stadium on March 3, 2026, at a ceremony in the South Loop attended by Mansueto, club president of business operations Dave Baldwin, city leaders and project partners. The team said the groundbreaking marked the formal start of construction on the privately funded venue. (corporate.mcdonalds.com) Chicago Fire FC first released detailed renderings of the stadium on June 16, 2025, after announcing the project earlier that month. The club has said the venue is designed by Gensler and planned in a style meant to reflect Chicago’s industrial architecture, with brick, steel and glass on the exterior. (mlssoccer.com) ### What happens next before the Fire move in? McDonald’s Park is scheduled to open in 2028, according to McDonald’s and Chicago Fire FC. The club has said the venue will become the permanent home for Chicago Fire matches, while also hosting concerts, international sports events and other large-scale programming through the year. (chicagofirefc.com) The next major milestone already on the calendar is the buildout of the stadium at The 78 as construction continues following the March 3 groundbreaking. Chicago Fire FC is also taking season-ticket deposits tied to the new venue through its stadium project site, the club said when it released stadium details. (chicagofirefc.com) (chicagofirefc.com) (corporate.mcdonalds.com)