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Get the story behind the places, faces, and current events shaping the downtownATL district.
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Games, stadiums, and the big events — from the World Cup to the Super Bowl — that fill Atlanta's city center.
Sports Business Journal put Atlanta at the top of its 2026 rankings, ahead of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
Auburn edged Baylor 17-16 in the 2026 Aflac Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on a packed Labor Day weekend downtown.
Georgia's high school football season opens downtown Wednesday, with Grayson and North Gwinnett headlining an 8 p.m. game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and more dates running through Aug. 21.
Nineteen days of free programming in Centennial Olympic Park pulled more than 536,000 people downtown, and a rainy July 14 set from Ludacris turned into the run's high-water mark.
Red Bull's Formula 1 showcase took over several blocks of Hank Aaron Drive in Summerhill, drawing crowds to a corridor remade by new housing, retail and MARTA's first bus rapid transit line.
Circle Feb. 13, 2028: Super Bowl LXII now has an official date at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the next global headliner in downtown's remarkable run.
Two Messi assists in the final 35 minutes flipped a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 semifinal win, sending Argentina to the final and closing Atlanta's World Cup with an instant classic.
"Underground Argentina" is back: a two-day festival at the historic downtown venue is expected to draw some 20,000 La Albiceleste faithful before Wednesday's semifinal against England.
FIFA's president wants a return visit, and Atlanta leaders are already maneuvering to land the 2031 Women's World Cup final at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Spain punched the first ticket to the final — and one night later, Atlanta's last World Cup match decided who would meet them there.
The biggest match of Atlanta's eight arrives Wednesday: England and Argentina, a rivalry with four decades of baggage and a place in the final on the line.
Down two goals with time running out, the defending champions turned a downtown Atlanta night into one of the great World Cup comebacks.
Thirty-five frames document the biggest night this district has staged since 1996, from Centennial Olympic Park to the last chorus at Centennial Yards.
Atlanta's tournament run ended with a sold-out semifinal, an Underground Atlanta takeover in sky blue, and a British ambassador handing out compliments.
The stadium on Northside Drive did not fall into FIFA's lap; it was designed, funded and filled for exactly this moment years before the bid was won.
