McDonald's has secured naming rights to Chicago Fire FC's stadium opening in 2028, the company's first naming-rights deal in U.S. sports despite $6.25BN in annual domestic revenue. Terms were not disclosed. The venue, McDonald's Park, anchors a mixed-use development in the Near West Side with an estimated cost north of $1BN when infrastructure and surrounding parcels are included.
The deal follows McDonald's relocation of its headquarters from Oak Brook to Chicago's West Loop in 2018, a move led by then-CEO Steve Easterbrook to attract younger talent. The company employs roughly 2,000 people downtown. Fire ownership, led by Joe Mansueto since 2019, broke ground on the stadium site in October after securing $200MM in tax-increment financing from the city. The 28,000-seat venue replaces the Fire's tenancy at Soldier Field, which never scaled past 17,383 average attendance despite a downtown location.
The naming-rights market for MLS stadiums has tightened since 2022, when Audi walked from its deal with D.C. United and BMO ended its Toronto naming at renewal. Chicago Fire's prior search for a sponsor stalled for eighteen months while site plans remained fluid. McDonald's entry suggests the brand views the stadium as place-based marketing rather than reach play—the Fire ranked 23rd in MLS attendance last season. The company's domestic same-store sales grew 3.3% in Q4 2024, its slowest quarter in two years, and it has been vocal about recapturing occasional users who defected during post-pandemic price hikes.
McDonald's will control venue naming, front-of-jersey rights, and unspecified hospitality assets inside the development. The Fire wore a Motorola jersey patch last season under a deal signed in 2022 worth approximately $4MM annually. That agreement expires after 2025, and Motorola has not indicated renewal interest. The club's primary kit sponsor, Wintrust, pays roughly $3.5MM per year through 2027. McDonald's is not expected to take jersey inventory, leaving both slots available for the Fire to monetize separately, according to two people familiar with the structure.
The broader development includes 300,000 square feet of retail, a public park, and residential units managed by Sterling Bay, the same developer behind Lincoln Yards. McDonald's will operate a flagship restaurant on-site, its largest in the U.S., and has negotiated co-marketing rights with the club for menu launches and digital campaigns. The company has not used sports naming as a demand driver since its Olympic sponsorship work in the 1990s, preferring event activation and endorsement deals with individual athletes. Fire ownership has framed the stadium as a year-round asset, scheduling 150-plus event days annually beyond the 17 home MLS matches.
MLS commissioner Don Garber attended the announcement at McDonald's headquarters, a rare midweek appearance for a naming deal. The league has been pushing clubs to secure stadium sponsors before venue openings, after Miami's Chase Stadium launched without naming in 2020 and didn't finalize a deal until 2023. Chicago becomes the ninth MLS market with a corporate naming partner on a soccer-specific stadium. The Fire's previous home, Toyota Park in Bridgeview, carried a naming deal worth $44MM over 20 years when it opened in 2006, at the time the largest in league history.
The stadium is scheduled to open in April 2028, three months before Chicago hosts World Cup matches at Soldier Field. McDonald's is not a FIFA partner for the tournament, which Coca-Cola and Budweiser anchor in the beverage and quick-service categories. The Fire begin the 2025 MLS season at Soldier Field on February 22 against Atlanta United.
The takeaway
McDonald's debuts U.S. naming rights with Fire's **2028** stadium, leaving jersey slots open and betting on place-based marketing over reach.
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