Fire Fixture List Released, Fans to Return

“One of the most exciting parts about our city being able to safely reopen is regaining our ability to get back to Soldier Field to cheer on beloved teams such as Chicago Fire FC,” said Mayor Lightfoot. “This announcement was made possible by the many months we have spent planning, strategizing and evaluating how to welcome fans back into the stands and we will continue to work in close partnership with the Chicago Fire FC team to prioritize fans’ health and mitigate risk.”

Chicago Fire FC will take a phased approach by first opening the 100 and 200-level sections of Soldier Field, while maintaining safe social distancing between each seating pod in keeping with guidance provided by MLS. As a part of today’s announcement, the Club will have the ability to increase attendance up to 25 percent of Soldier Field’s capacity, which is consistent with the State of Illinois’ “Restore Illinois” Phase 4 guidance.

All guests at Soldier Field will be required to wear masks or facial coverings except when they are eating or drinking at their seat. Additionally, social distancing will also continue to be practiced and emphasized throughout the concourse and all public areas of the venue.

Additional health and safety protocols include staggered entry times and designated entry gates for guests, pre-determined and socially-distanced seating pods in groups of one, two, four or six seats, hand sanitizer stations throughout the facility, and rigorous and frequent cleaning processes throughout the venue. 

“Today is an exciting day for the Club,” said Fire Owner and Chairman Joe Mansueto. “We’d like to thank Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Governor J.B. Pritzker for their leadership and guidance throughout the past year. We are looking forward to April 17, when fans will be able to cheer on the team in-person at Soldier Field. We welcome all Chicagoans to come see a game this year.”

Hopefully, the fans will continue to be able to come as both the English Premier League and German Bundesliga among others initially allowed a limited number of fans in stadia before being forces to revert back to playing in empty stadia due to a surge in COVID cases.

Fixture List

Also on Wednesday, the fixture list for the Fire’s 24th season came out and for all but two matches (both on UniMas), the place to watch them will be on WGN-TV. There will currently be no matches on either ESPN or Fox Sports.

There will be nine Saturday, five Wednesday, and three Sunday home matches this season. Of which, ten will start at 7pm, four at noon, and two at 5pm. After the home opener against New England, the Fire will go on a pair of away matches to Atlanta United (April 24th) and New York Red Bulls (May 1st). In late June/early July, the Fire will have a four-match home stand that features FC Cincinnati (June 23rd), Philadelphia Union (June 26th), Atlanta United (July 3rd), and Orlando City SC (July 7th).

The Fire’s first match with defending champions Columbus Crew will be at Columbus on Saturday, June 19th, in what will be the last Crew match at Historic Crew Stadium (neé MAPFRE Stadium) and at the New Crew Stadium on “Decision Day” November 7th. The Crew will come to Soldier Field on August 14th.

There is a strong emphasis on emphasis on intra-conference regional play this season. On that end, the Fire will take on Eastern Conference opponents Columbus Crew SC, D.C. United, New York Red Bulls, New England Revolution, New York City FC and Philadelphia Union three times each and Atlanta United FC, CF Montréal, FC Cincinnati, Inter Miami CF, Nashville SC and Toronto FC each twice. The Fire will only face two Western Conference teams in league play in 2021: Real Salt Lake and Sporting Kansas City.