McDonald’s is getting into the stadium game.
The Chicago Fire‘s $750 million stadium will be called McDonald’s Park in the fast-food company’s first naming rights partnership for a major professional stadium in the United States. McDonald’s Park is scheduled to open in 2028 and will seat more than 22,000 for soccer and up to 31,000 for concerts.
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Chicago Fire FC owner Joe Mansueto is funding the stadium, which will be the anchor of The 78, a new riverfront neighborhood in the South Loop. The Major League Soccer team currently plays at Soldier Field.
“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,” Mansueto said. “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.”
The stadium will include a year-round McDonald’s restaurant and a dedicated seating section for Ronald McDonald House families. McDonald’s, which has its global headquarters less than three miles away in Chicago’s West Loop, also will use the stadium for community programs addressing food insecurity.
As part of the partnership, McDonald’s also will help the Fire expand its “P.L.A.Y.S.” program that brings soccer to underserved kids in the Chicago Public School system. Beginning in 2027, McDonalds and the Fire will give soccer starter kits, including balls and goals, to CPS elementary schools, and the goal is to eventually have P.L.A.Y.S. in every school with need.
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That could reach more than 125,000 students, which would make it the largest free soccer initiative in the country.
“Together, we are creating more than a stadium,” said Chris Kempczinski, chairman and CEO of McDonald’s. “We are building a place that serves up joy, brings together community, delivers impact, and is designed to serve generations to come.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: McDonald’s agrees to naming rights deal for Chicago Fire’s new stadium
