There’s a new name in Chicago sports stadiums.
Fast-food giant McDonald’s has inked a long-term deal with the Chicago Fire to add its name — and a massive flagship restaurant — to the team’s new $750 million stadium going up at The 78 in the South Loop.
McDonald’s Park, as the new soccer venue will be branded, represents the first professional sports stadium naming deal for the Chicago-based restaurant chain, and a high-profile marketing partner for the Fire. Terms of the multiyear agreement were not disclosed, but it runs through at least 2040, according to the team.
“Together, we are creating more than a stadium,” Chris Kempczinski, chairman and CEO of McDonald’s, said in a news release Wednesday. “We are building a place that serves up joy, brings together community, delivers impact, and is designed to serve generations to come.”
The Fire hosted a groundbreaking event in March at the site of their privately funded soccer stadium on a vacant former rail yard in the South Loop, staking their turf in the city’s competitive sports landscape. The stadium is expected to open for the 2028 Major League Soccer season.
In addition to hanging its name and iconic Golden Arches inside and outside the stadium, McDonald’s will build a permanent restaurant attached to the facility in what developers hope will be a burgeoning new Chicago neighborhood, anchored by the Fire.
The Fire stadium will be located at the north end of The 78, a planned $8 billion mixed-use development on a long-fallow, 62-acre site along the Chicago River south of Roosevelt Road.
The $750 million open-air soccer facility — the most expensive in MLS — was announced last summer. Designed by architectural firm Gensler, the 22,000-seat red-brick stadium will feature a natural grass pitch, 50 luxury suites and a canopied roof, among other amenities.
Once it opens, the stadium will host 17 regular season MLS games and 10 to 15 other events per year, including concerts, comedy shows, international soccer matches and combat sports.
“As we take the next step on our journey to build a world-class club, our commitment to Chicago is at the center of everything we do,” Joe Mansueto, Chicago Fire owner and chairman, said in the release. “That’s why McDonald’s is the perfect partner — an iconic global brand with deep Chicago roots and shared values in supporting our community. McDonald’s Park will be the stadium that Chicago deserves.”
Selling naming rights is an integral part of defraying the costs of a new stadium, which is being built without any taxpayer funding.
While terms of the agreement were not disclosed, the deal is likely in the same ballpark as recent MLS stadium naming rights sponsorships in New York, Los Angeles and Miami.
In 2023, Los Angeles FC announced an agreement to rename its home field as BMO Stadium in a 10-year deal valued at a reported $100 million. New York FC struck a 20-year naming rights deal in 2024 with Etihad Airways for its new soccer stadium, which is opening next year.
Inter Miami CF recently announced a multiyear agreement with Brazilian financial services company Nu to put its name on the team’s new stadium, which opened last month. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
As part of the Fire partnership, McDonald’s will help expand the team’s youth soccer program across the city beginning next year, while stadium concession stands will serve as a “round up” for charitable game day donations to Ronald McDonald House.
Chicago-based Levy was named in December to handle all of the food and beverage concessions at the stadium.
With Wednesday’s announcement, McDonald’s Park will join the pantheon of Chicago sports venues branded with corporate monikers, including Wrigley Field, United Center and Rate Field.
Some names last longer than others, with Wrigley Field celebrating a century as the Cubs stadium, while the White Sox stadium has gone from Comiskey Park to U.S. Cellular to Guaranteed Rate to Rate Field since opening 35 years ago.
The McDonald’s name will be attached to the new soccer stadium for at least 12 years after it opens in 2028, which is already a cause for celebration for the Fire.
“We’re thrilled to see Joe Mansueto’s vision take shape through his $750 million private investment in a new stadium in the center of Chicago,” Dave Baldwin, the Fire’s president of business operations, said in a statement. “It’s equally special for us to welcome McDonald’s as our naming rights partner. As a globally recognized brand with deep ties to this city and a shared focus on community impact, this partnership feels authentic, aligned, and incredibly meaningful.”
rchannick@chicagotribune.com
