Arts & Entertainment
Chicago Fire Announces ‘Transformative’ Privately-Financed $650M Soccer Stadium for The 78
A drone image of The 78, the planned site of the Chicago Fire's new stadium on the Chicago River, just south of Roosevelt Road. (Courtesy of Related Midwest and Black Creative)
Chicago’s other football club — the Fire — is doubling down on its commitment to the city, with team owner Joe Mansueto announcing a plan to personally finance a $650 million soccer-specific stadium to be built along the Chicago River in Related Midwest’s development, The 78.
“A world-class city deserves a world class football club — with a world-class home to match,” Mansueto, owner and chairman, said in a statement. “This development will be transformative for both the Chicago Fire FC and the city of Chicago…. Soon, we’ll have a permanent home that reflects the passion, energy and pride of the city we love.”
The proposed 22,000-seat, open-air stadium will provide The 78 — a 62-acre site in the South Loop — with a much-needed anchor for additional residential and commercial development.
A sketch of the proposed soccer-specific Chicago Fire stadium, which would seat 22,000. (Courtesy Chicago Fire FC)
“The Fire’s decision to bring the city’s first soccer-specific stadium to our site will give rise to an entirely new sports and entertainment district that activates more than a half-mile of downtown riverfront,” Curt Bailey, president of Related Midwest said in a statement.
The project could break ground in fall 2025 or early 2026, with an anticipated opening in time for the 2028 Major League Soccer (MLS) season.
Mansueto founded the financial services firm Morningstar in 1984 and currently serves as the company’s executive chairman. He became a partial owner of the Fire in 2018 and sole owner in 2019.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber dubbed the Fire’s stadium plan “one of the most ambitious” in Major League Soccer history.
The team, founded in 1997, has been playing its home matches at Soldier Field since 2020. The Fire finished the 2024 season with 7 wins, 9 draws and 18 losses. As of Tuesday morning, the team’s 2025 record was 6-4-5.
Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 | [email protected]
