Chicago Fire owner and chairman Joe Mansueto. Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Chicago Fire hoping to undo past mistakes with new stadium plans

By Zach Wadley | Last updated Jun 3, 2025 11:55 AM ET

The Chicago Fire unveiled its $650M new stadium plans at The 78 in Chicago's South Loop on Tuesday morning.

The Fire, one of the first MLS expansion teams in 1998, initially played at Soldier Field before moving to the newly constructed Toyota Park (now SeatGeek Stadium) in 2006. The problem? Toyota Park was built in Bridgeview, Illinois, at least 40 minutes from downtown Chicago. It never felt right.

For 14 seasons, the Fire averaged just north of 15,000 fans at home matches. In 2020, the team returned to Soldier Field and has played its games there ever since. Attendance has been on a steady incline and currently stands at 26,000 per game.

The new stadium will be a breath of fresh air for a franchise that has fallen on hard times — its last playoff appearance coming in 2017.

✔️ Soccer-specific
✔️ Privately funded
✔️ 22,000 seats

️ @ChicagoFire's plan for a new home: https://t.co/mskq1gTDyn pic.twitter.com/k04BgusL9A
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 3, 2025

It will be a place for “fans of all ages, backgrounds and neighborhoods to celebrate the beautiful game,” that is soccer, “right in the heart of our city,” club owner Joe Mansueto said in a full-page advertisement that ran in Tuesday’s Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune. “Soccer is the world’s game, and a world-class city like ours deserves a world-class club with a world-class home to match.”

The stadium will be open-air and seat 22,000. The location is beneficial to the large mass of people who live and work downtown and will be easier to reach via public transit. Mansueto, the billionaire founder of Morningstar, also intends to fund the stadium construction from his own pocket.

The Fire's new stadium should allow the club to capitalize on big-name players coming through Chicago. The club formerly employed German legend Bastian Schweinsteiger and Swiss standout Xherdan Shaqiri. Currently, they're a rumored destination for Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne.

The stadium is slated to open in 2028, marking the 30th anniversary of the club's first and only MLS Cup. It's a large piece of the puzzle that may help Chicago return to their glory days.

Zach Wadley

Zach Wadley's sportswriting career began at the age of 12 when he started covering Little League games for his local newspaper. Since then, he's worked in the sports information field where he merged his love of writing, social media, and broadcasting. He is a graduate of Anderson University (IN).

More must-reads: