History & description

The Soldier Field stadium that opened in 1924 was the site of the first collegiate American football game in the United States. On October 4, 1924, Louisville Male High School (now known as Male High School) played Chicago Austin High (now known as DePaul University). In 1927, 123,000 people attended a football match between Notre Dame and Southern California.

In the 1970s, several renovations reduced the capacity of the Chicago Bears stadium to 66,950 seats.

Soldier Field was one of the playing venues of the 1994 World Cup. It hosted four first round group matches and the round of 16 match between Germany and Belgium (3-2).

The stadium was rebuilt in 2003 with the facades of the stadium reduced to its current capacity of just over 60,000.

The stadium was originally built as the home of the Chicago Fire in 1998, but soon proved too large for their attendances. To solve this problem, they decided to build a new soccer-specific stadium and moved to Toyota Park in 2005.

However, they never really warmed up to the stadium far out of town, and later decided to move back to Soldier Field, starting with the 2020 season.

Over the years, the stadium has served as a regular playing venue for Concacaf Gold Cups that have been held in the USA. It hosted the 2007, 2013 and 2019 tournament final.

The Soldier Field will be one of the playing venues of the 2026 World Cup that is hosted in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

How to get to Soldier Field

The Soldier Field grounds are divided into two sections--The Stadium and The Campus. The Stadium section contains the historic Soldier Field stadium as well as numerous auxiliary fields. The Campus section contains many buildings used by the University of Illinois, including the Memorial Union, which houses the university's museum, and many athletic facilities. The nearest metro station is Roosevelt station, which is on the Red, Green, and Orange Lines and has links to many central locations. It is a fifteen-minute walk to the stadium.

Metra Electric trains depart from the south side of the Chicago River and can take you anywhere in the city.

Chicago Fire Tickets

Chicago Fire tickets can be bought online through Ticketmaster. Tickets prices depend on the opponent but expect to pay $20-$75.

Photos of Soldier Field

The writer expresses gratitude for the gift, which will be greatly appreciated. Photo credits: Humberto & Marco Verch (license)

Useful Internet links

The Chicago Fire official website is chicagofirefc.com. The Soldier Field official website is soldierfield.net. The Explore Chicago official website is explorechicago.org. The Chicago public transport information website is transitchicago.com.