15
JUN
GROUP E · MD1
🇨🇴Colombiavs🇪🇬Egypt
Atlanta's South American diaspora gets its night
15:00 ET19:00 GMT
71,000
Capacity (WC config)
8
WC 2026 matches
2017
Opened · $1.6 B build
Grass
Surface · permanent natural
DT
Downtown ATL · walkable
02 · The Soul
Atlanta's petal roof, football's eight-petal stage.
The petal-roof retractable in the heart of downtown Atlanta. Opened in 2017 for $1.6 billion, the most architecturally ambitious stadium of its decade.
Atlanta United fills it every weekend · the loudest crowd in MLS, full stop. The infrastructure for football is already there.
The slate: eight matches. Group stage and knockouts including a quarter-final. The Southeast's biggest WC stage.
03 · The Fixtures · 8 matches
Every game played here.
From group stage Saturdays to the Southeast quarter-final.
19
JUN
GROUP G · MD2
🇭🇷Croatiavs🇨🇻Cape Verde
Croatia chase the round of 16 again
18:00 ET22:00 GMT
21
JUN
GROUP B · MD3★ Group decider
🇪🇸Spainvs🇸🇳Senegal
European champions vs African powerhouse · group decider
15:00 ET19:00 GMT
04
JUL
ROUND OF 32
TBDvsTBD
Single elimination · winner to R16
17:00 ET21:00 GMT
08
JUL
ROUND OF 16
R32 winnervsR32 winner
The Southeast knockout night
17:00 ET21:00 GMT
12
JUL
QUARTER-FINAL★ Last 8
R16 winnervsR16 winner
The biggest international football night Atlanta has hosted
15:00 ET19:00 GMT
04 · The Map
Pinned.
Walkable from downtown. The CNN Centre, MARTA, the World Aquarium, all within blocks.
🏆Mercedes-Benz Stadium
—Stadium · Downtown ATL
2026 WC venue · 71,000 capacity, retractable petal roof.
🚆GWCC / MARTA station
0.2 miTransit · Downtown ATL
MARTA W-line · runs to airport in 18 min. The cleanest WC transit in the tournament.
🎉CNN Center
0.2 miFan zones · Downtown ATL
WC fan-festival site · big screens, food trucks, CNN broadcast crew.
🛏Omni Atlanta Hotel
0.3 miHotels · Downtown ATL
The closest full-service hotel · walkable to gate, MARTA at the door.
🌳Centennial Olympic Park
0.4 miParks · Downtown ATL
The 1996 Olympics park · WC fan-festival anchor location.
🍽STATS Brewpub
0.5 miRestaurants · Downtown ATL
Pre-match sports bar · 100+ screens · the locals' choice.
✈Hartsfield-Jackson ATL
8 miAirports · Atlanta
The busiest airport in the world · MARTA direct to stadium · 18 min ride.
06 · Getting There
Three ways in.
Atlanta is a MARTA town for big events. Drive only if you must.
🚆 From the airport (ATL)
MARTA · the easy one
18 mindoor to gate
$2.50one-way
10 minfrequency
1
Take MARTA Red/Gold line north from the airport.
2
Exit at GWCC/CNN Center station.
3
2-min walk to the gate. No transfers needed.
🚗 From the suburbs
I-75/85 South
25 minoff-peak
$30+parking on-site
10 lotsevent-day
1
I-75/85 S → exit Andrew Young Intl Blvd.
2
Pre-paid parking strongly recommended.
3
MARTA park-and-ride from suburbs is much cleaner.
🚶 From downtown hotels
Walk · 5-10 min
5 minfrom Omni
Freewalking
Flatterrain
1
Most downtown hotels are within a 10-min walk.
2
Follow Marietta St / Centennial Olympic Park Dr.
3
Walking is the locals' choice on event days.
07 · The Pitch & the Stands
Permanent grass, petal roof closes for rain.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium already has natural grass year-round · Atlanta United plays on it weekly. **The only WC venue that didn't need to retrofit the pitch.**
Field specifications
// already FIFA-spec
SurfaceNatural grass · Bermuda
SourceIn-situ · permanent install
Dimensions105m × 68m
RoofRetractable 8-petal
LightingLED · 3,000 lux
Pitch transitionNone required
After WCContinues for Atlanta United
LowerClubUpperVIP
08 · The History
Before it was a World Cup venue.
Opened in 2017. The biggest moments before WC 2026, in reverse.
2026
🏆 FIFA World Cup · 8 matches · group + QF
The Southeast quarter-final.
Eight matches from group stage through a quarter-final. The biggest WC slate in the Southeast.
2025
🏀 NCAA Final Four · Men's basketball
College hoops crowns its champion.
70,000+ for the final · the second-largest Final Four crowd ever.
2019
🏈 Super Bowl LIII · Patriots 13-3 Rams
The lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever.
Brady's sixth ring. The defensive Super Bowl that bored a generation.
2018
⚽ MLS Cup · Atlanta United 2-0 Portland
Atlanta's first major trophy.
73,019 in attendance · the loudest MLS final in league history. The night soccer's grip on Atlanta got cemented.
2017
🏟 Opening · Falcons vs Cardinals
The petal opens.
First NFL regular-season game · the 8-petal roof opened on cue · Falcons won.
★ The deepest line on this file
The QF.
Sunday · 12 July 2026 · 15:00 ET
39
Days
05
Hours
33
Minutes
02
Seconds
The Southeast's biggest international football night · a place in the semi-final at AT&T.
09 · Stadium trivia
Five facts for downtown ATL.
For the MARTA ride to the gate.
The 8-petal roof
The retractable roof has eight triangular petals that rotate inward. No other stadium on earth has the same design.
Loudest MLS crowd on record
Atlanta United's home matches average higher decibel readings than any NFL game played here.
Fan-first food pricing
$2 hot dogs · $5 beers · the stadium kept fan-cost pledges since opening. The standard the rest of US sport is chased to match.
Permanent natural grass
The only major US stadium with year-round natural grass and a retractable roof. Atlanta United's weekly home means the WC didn't have to retrofit anything.
Already hosted everything
NFL, MLS, NCAA football, NCAA basketball, Super Bowl, college football championship · in 9 years. The fastest 'host every major American sport' run.
The deepest truth in the file
Eight matches.One petal roof.The Southeast's first World Cup quarter-final.
Host venue2026 QF71,000 capacityPetal roofMARTA city