“I have always sought to inspire and connect with people through my passion for soccer, and this experience will allow fans to relive the most unforgettable moments of my career,” Messi said in a statement.
Messi provided a boost to Major League Soccer, the U.S. professional men’s league, when he joined Inter Miami in 2023. Last year, the league saw a 14% increase in fan attendance from 2022 and a 13% annual increase in sponsorship revenue, according to ESPN.
The Chicago Fire have also been on a growth trajectory ever since relocating their home games to Soldier Field from suburban Bridgeview five years ago. The club is worth $575 million, according to an evaluation by Sportico. While that still ranks 22nd in MLS, it is up from $535 million in 2021 and $540 million in 2024.
Earlier this week, the club opened a $100 million training facility on the Near West Side. Sitting on 26 acres near the Illinois Medical District, the Endeavor Health Performance Center includes 5 1/2 fields and a 56,000-square-foot training and office building. Club owner Joe Mansueto, founder of Morningstar, said the facility hopes to attract new fans and be an economic boost to the city.
The team is also aiming to build a new 25,000-seat stadium in one of two proposed megadevelopments in the city. The sites Mansueto zeroed in on are The 78 site in the South Loop and the planned Lincoln Yards campus between Lincoln Park and Bucktown. The Fire owner said he is frustrated with scheduling and sponsorship limitations that come with sharing a stadium with the Chicago Bears.
The Messi experience will be hosted at 2367 W. Logan Blvd. and will have nine installations spread across 20,000 square feet. While fans will not be able to see the soccer star, Messi will be in Chicago when the Fire play Inter Miami on April 13.
