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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.
With 150 days until the first match, Atlanta and Mercedes-Benz Stadium are deep into World Cup preparations—from natural grass installation to fan festival planning in Centennial Olympic Park. Organizers say both ticket holders and those without tickets will have ways to experience the tournament.
FIFA announced the complete schedule for the 2026 World Cup on December 8, 2025. Mercedes-Benz Stadium will host eight of the tournament's 104 matches, including a semifinal on July 15.
FIFA has revealed Atlanta's World Cup group-stage schedule, with Spain — ranked No. 1 globally — set to play two matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The city could host Spain up to five times if the 2010 champions advance deep into the tournament.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino visited Atlanta in April 2025, touring Mercedes-Benz Stadium with Mayor Andre Dickens and announcing a $1 million donation to youth soccer — as the city geared up to host Club World Cup matches in 2025 and eight World Cup games in 2026.
The Atlanta Vibe of the Pro Volleyball Federation brought professional volleyball to downtown for the first time with a two-game '404 Match' series at Georgia State's Convocation Center on March 28 and 30, 2025.
Sports Business Journal reports the NFL is expected to award the February 2028 game to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, landing it in a downtown that will have finished the World Cup and much of Centennial Yards.
The Dream relocated two home games against Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever from their 3,500-seat arena to the 17,000-seat State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta, aiming to shatter the franchise attendance record and meet demand that "far outpaces the supply."
FIFA confirmed that Mercedes-Benz Stadium will host eight World Cup matches in 2026 — five group stage games, a Round of 32 match, a Round of 16 match, and a semifinal — with an estimated $5 billion in regional economic impact.
Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles headlined the inaugural adidas Atlanta City Games at Centennial Olympic Park in May 2023 — a free, world-class track and field meet that returned elite competition to the site of the 1996 Olympics.
The College Football Playoff announced that Mercedes-Benz Stadium would host the first national championship game under the new 12-team format on January 20, 2025 — bringing the biggest game in college football to downtown Atlanta.
By 2019, Atlanta United was averaging 52,000 fans per game — more than double the MLS average — and ranking in the global top 10 for club attendance. The supporter culture that built that number was as diverse as the city itself.
The Atlanta nonprofit that uses soccer to teach leadership, discipline, and job skills to underserved youth celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2019 — by then operating mini-soccer fields at MARTA stations including Five Points and building what it calls the world's first transit league.
MLS awarded the 2018 All-Star Game to Mercedes-Benz Stadium after Atlanta United's inaugural season shattered every attendance record in the league — including a single-game mark of 71,874 against Toronto FC.
The $1.6 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened in August 2017 with a retractable roof, 4,000 solar panels, and a FIFA-compliant field — immediately positioning Atlanta as one of 39 U.S. cities under consideration for the 2026 World Cup.
In 2017, Arthur Blank's Atlanta United launched its inaugural MLS season with 30,000 season ticket holders, a world-class roster, and a sold-out temporary home at Georgia Tech — months before Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened its doors.
