It has been 15 years since Phoenix last played host to MLB’s All-Star Game, but the Arizona Diamondbacks believe a return could be in play.
Derrick Hall, the club’s president and CEO, said during an appearance on Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta that the franchise’s past success as an All-Star host gives it a real shot at bringing the event back.
“I think it’s time as well,” Hall said.
The big obstacle, at least for now, is Chase Field itself. Hall said MLB is likely to wait until the ballpark’s renovations are finished, or at least mostly finished, before seriously considering Phoenix again.
“However, they’re going to probably wait until we have renovations completed or a majority of the renovations because they either look for a new ballpark or a highly renovated, newly renovated ballpark to host an All-Star Game,” Hall said. “So we are setting up. I mean, it looks like we’re going to get back in that line of, ‘Hey, it’s our turn,’ but I want to get a lot of those major renovations done over the next couple of years first.”
Phoenix’s last turn came in 2011, when Chase Field welcomed 49,033 fans for the Midsummer Classic and put the Valley in the spotlight on one of baseball’s biggest stages.
Since then, MLB has leaned into newer or recently upgraded venues. The 2025 game was at Truist Park in Atlanta, with Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia set for 2026 and Wrigley Field in Chicago in 2027.
That backdrop matters for Arizona, where Chase Field is slated for major upgrades after a recently approved $500 million public funding package, plus additional team spending to improve the air conditioning system and fan amenities.
For the Diamondbacks, the idea is simple: finish the renovations, then make Chase Field a serious candidate again. If that happens, another All-Star Game would bring the sport’s biggest names back to the desert and turn the national spotlight back toward downtown Phoenix.