McDonald’s gets naming rights sponsorship for new Chicago Fire stadium

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.”