Downtown Atlanta in the news.

Historic

The Hail Mary Was Born in Atlanta: How a Prayer at Grant Field Became Football's Most Famous Play

On October 28, 1922, a Notre Dame lineman started praying on fourth down at Grant Field in Atlanta. When the play worked — twice — he said, "That Hail Mary is the best play we have." A century later, every desperate last-second throw in football carries the name that was born downtown.

Oct 18, 2024

Historic

SEC Extends Championship Game Agreement in Atlanta Through at Least 2031

The Southeastern Conference extended its agreement to hold its football championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium through at least 2031, with a five-year option that could keep the game in Atlanta through 2036.

Dec 1, 2023

Sports

Atlanta to Host First College Football Playoff Championship Under Expanded 12-Team Format

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.

Dec 2, 2022

Sports

Mercedes-Benz Stadium Opens — and Atlanta's World Cup Bid Begins

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.

Aug 21, 2017

Downtown Development

Atlanta's Stadium Love Affair: The Billion-Dollar Debate That Built Downtown's Skyline

By 2016, Atlanta was simultaneously building a $1.5 billion football stadium downtown and a $672 million baseball stadium in Cobb County. The scale of the investment — and the public money involved — forced a citywide reckoning with what stadiums actually do for the communities around them.

Jun 2, 2016

Downtown Development

Atlanta City Council Approves Financing for a $1 Billion Downtown Stadium

The Atlanta City Council voted 11–4 in March 2013 to use $200 million in hotel-motel tax revenue toward a retractable-roof stadium in downtown Atlanta — the building that would open four years later as Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Mar 19, 2013

Downtown Development

Falcons President Warns Team Could Move to Suburbs if Downtown Stadium Deal Falls Through

In February 2013, Falcons President Rich McKay told Atlanta's City Council that the team would consider a suburban site if negotiations for a new downtown stadium collapsed — setting the stage for the public financing debate that would define the next two years.

Feb 14, 2013

Downtown Development

College Football Hall of Fame Breaks Ground at Centennial Olympic Park

On January 28, 2013, the National Football Foundation broke ground on the new College Football Hall of Fame adjacent to Centennial Olympic Park — bringing one of the sport's most important institutions from South Bend, Indiana, to downtown Atlanta.

Jan 28, 2013

Sports

Domecoming: Eight High School Football Teams Converge on Downtown Atlanta

In its second year, Domecoming brought eight high school football teams to the Georgia Dome for a full day of games — with marching bands parading down Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and 15,000 fans filling downtown's biggest venue for Friday night lights on Saturday.

Oct 13, 2010