Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta staged several matches at the 2026 World Cup, none bigger than the semi-final between England and Argentina. The ground opened on August 26, 2017, to replace the Georgia Dome, and a 2016 estimate put the construction bill at US$1.6 billion.
The roof is what people remember. Eight translucent triangular panels form a pinwheel, each running on two parallel rails: one rail drives the panel, the other steadies it. Closing takes slightly less time than opening, because the opening sequence has to release the seals first and then slow near the end so the panels do not derail. Fully open, they are meant to look like a bird’s wings spread wide.
Architect Bill Johnson said the circular opening came from the Roman Pantheon, which was also the building’s working name. The roof can stay open in light rain, since the video boards’ electrics are rated for outdoor use and the field drains. AMB Group executive Mike Egan called it “an outdoor stadium with a roof over it,” though he said humidity and temperature would also decide whether the roof opens.
Built for football, adapted for soccer
The Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC play here, and an NWSL side, Atlanta City FC, is due in 2028. The state of Georgia owns the stadium through the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, and AMB Group operates it.
For soccer, the lower bowl seats retract to widen the field and mechanized curtains cut capacity to about 42,500. The building also took over events once held at the Georgia Dome: the SEC football championship game, the Peach Bowl and the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2018 and 2025. It hosted the 2018 MLS Cup and Super Bowl LIII in 2019. Super Bowl LXII follows in 2028.
From a 2010 idea to a delayed opening
Reports in May 2010 said the Falcons wanted an open-air stadium to replace the Georgia Dome. Populous released plans in February 2011 with a cost estimate of US$700 million. By April 2012 that estimate had climbed to US$947.7 million.
The Falcons and the city agreed on March 7, 2013, to build downtown. Public money was capped at US$200 million from the hotel-motel tax, and the Atlanta City Council approved the plan on March 19, 2013, by an 11-4 vote. The NFL approved a US$200 million loan to the Falcons on May 21. Legal questions over the bonds pushed groundbreaking to May 19, 2014.
The opening slipped three times because the eight-panel roof proved so complex. The first target had been March 1, 2017.
Inside, prices were part of the pitch. Under a “fan first pricing” policy, a beverage cup cost US$2 with free refills and a beer cost $5. Since March 2019 concessions take cashless payment only. Out front stands Gábor Miklós Szőke’s stainless steel Atlanta Falcon, 41 feet high with a 70-foot wingspan, weighing over 73,000 pounds.
