📍 Atlanta, Georgia
⚽ Home of Atlanta United FC

A true modern marvel, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta set the new standard for future multi-purpose sports venues. Clad in stainless steel and featuring a state-of-the-art retractable roof, the stadium is one of the most technologically advanced in North America, making it an iconic structure on both the football and soccer landscapes. Since it debuted on the skyline in 2017, MBS has been the home of MLS’s Atlanta United FC and the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.

Costing a staggering $1.6 billion to design and construct, Mercedes-Benz Stadium is known for having many distinctive cutting edge features. Chief amongst them is the retractable pinwheel roof, which can open and close in just 8 minutes and is designed to resemble a bird’s wings when all of the panels are fully retracted. This flexibility allows Atlanta United – who played the first half of their inaugural season at the entirely outdoor Bobby Dodd Stadium – to be able to host matches in a more comfortable environment. Below the roof is a massive 360-degree circular Halo board, the largest of its kind in the world. The enormous videoboard is visible to everyone in the building, eliminating the need for multiple screens at each end of the venue. Because of this, there’s a break in the east side of the seating bowl to allow for unobstructed views of the Atlanta skyline through the stadium’s glass panes.

Although seating capacity for soccer is typically around 42,500, Mercedes-Benz Stadium can hold up to 71,000 fans if the mechanized upper level curtains are raised, something that’s typically done for big matches. This enables the city to continue hosting marquee events such as the SEC Championship, the College Football National Championship and the Super Bowl, the latter of which came to Atlanta in 2019. The 2020 Men’s Final Four was also slated to be held at MBS, but the Covid-19 pandemic stripped the stadium of that privilege; fans are looking forward to 2031, when the tourney will finally return.

Atlanta United began play in 2017 and quickly attracted a massive and dedicated following, consistently breaking attendance records and becoming a league leader in crowd size. The club’s fan-first approach has helped them draw folks in, starting with their low-priced concession options. Available at all events regardless of their nature, these extremely affordable menu prices – e.g. $2 for a soda and $5 for a beer – are a huge draw and help Mercedes-Benz Stadium stand out amongst its peers.

The club’s immediate success at the gate also translated to immediate success on the field, making their first trip to the playoffs in their inaugural season. Although they were knocked out in the first round, ATL UTD would be crowned MLS Cup Champions the following year. In 2019, they’d also win the US Open Cup and Campeones Cup, taking their rightful place as a perennial contender in the league.

During matches themselves, the supporters’ section in the stadium’s east end keeps things lively and loud. And when their beloved Five Stripes score, pyrotechnics shoot out from the sidelines and a train horn blares, a fitting din for a metropolis built around railroads.