★ THE OCTOPUS'S SOCCER ALMANAC ★ VENUE FILE No. MBS-007: MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM ★ THE BENZ ★ ATLANTA · USA ★ OPENED 26 AUGUST 2017 ★ HOST OF 5 GROUP-STAGE MATCHES AT THE 2026 WORLD CUP — UNDER A RETRACTABLE 8-PETAL OCULUS, WITH REAL GRASS LAID OVER THE PLASTIC PITCH ★ FILED BY PROF. INKSWORTH ★
🇬🇧 EN
MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM
The Benz — Atlanta, United States
ATLANTA · USA · OPENED 2017 · CAP 71,000

📋 QUICK FACTS

FULL NAME
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
NICKNAME
The Benz (The Benz)
OPENED
26 August 2017 (first event: Atlanta Falcons preseason game, 26 August 2017)
CAPACITY NOW
71,000 (expandable to about 75,000; soccer base configuration around 42,500)
ALTITUDE
320 m / 1,050 ft above sea level
PITCH
105 m × 69 m · natural grass laid for 2026 (normally FieldTurf)
ROOF
Retractable 8-petal pinwheel oculus, opens or closes in under ten minutes
ARCHITECT
360 Architecture (an HOK studio) with tvsdesign, Goode Van Slyke Architecture and Stanley Beaman & Sears
OWNER
Georgia World Congress Center Authority (operated by AMB Sports & Entertainment)
TENANTS
Atlanta Falcons · Atlanta United FC

📊 THE NUMBERS

CAPACITY71,000 (UP TO ~75,000)
ROOFRETRACTABLE 8-PETAL OCULUS
2026 MATCHES HOSTED5 GROUP-STAGE MATCHES
RECORD CROWD79,330 · 2022 PEACH BOWL

A modern indoor-or-out arena: the eight-petal roof seals against the Georgia heat and thunderstorms or wheels open in under ten minutes, while natural grass replaces the usual artificial turf for the World Cup.

TOP MATCHES — REPLAY THEATRE
2026
VS SPAIN vs CAPE VERDE GROUP H

Spain meet tournament debutants Cape Verde in a Group H fixture - one of five group-stage matches scheduled for the Atlanta venue.

2026
VS CZECHIA vs SOUTH AFRICA GROUP A

Czechia face South Africa in a Group A meeting under the retractable oculus.

2026
VS SPAIN vs SAUDI ARABIA GROUP H

Spain return to Atlanta to play Saudi Arabia in their second Group H outing here.

2026
VS MOROCCO vs HAITI GROUP C

Morocco take on Haiti in a Group C fixture in downtown Atlanta.

2026
VS DR CONGO vs UZBEKISTAN GROUP K

DR Congo meet Uzbekistan in a Group K closer - the last of the Atlanta group-stage slate.

⚽ MATCHES HERE — 2026

🔔 RECORD CROWD ON FILE
79,330
Peach Bowl - Ohio State vs Georgia (College Football Playoff semi-final)
31 December 2022

The building's largest crowd came not for soccer but for American college football. Its football record is 73,019, set at the 2018 MLS Cup - one of the biggest club-football crowds the United States has ever seen.

VISITOR SNAPSHOT · ATLANTA

THE SIGHTS

  • Georgia Aquarium
  • World of Coca-Cola
  • Centennial Olympic Park
  • Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park
  • Atlanta BeltLine
  • Fox Theatre

THE TABLE

  • Southern fried chicken
  • Peach cobbler
  • Shrimp & grits
  • Pulled-pork barbecue
  • Lemon pepper wings

GOOD TO KNOW

Language
English
Currency
US dollar (USD)
Time zone
Eastern Time (UTC-4 in summer with daylight saving)
Elevation
About 320 m (1,050 ft) above sea level - one of the higher-set major cities in the eastern United States, perched on the Piedmont plateau.
Population
Roughly half a million in the city proper and over 6 million across the metropolitan area.

GETTING AROUND

MARTA rail and bus cover the core, with the GWCC/CNN Center and Vine City stations both a short walk from the ground; ride-hailing and a walkable downtown fill the gaps.

Traveller's tip: take MARTA rather than drive on matchday - parking around the stadium is scarce and pricey.

WEATHER BRIEF · JUNE IN THE DEEP SOUTH

HISTORICAL CLIMATE, NOT A FORECAST. Typical June conditions from the climate record - never a matchday prediction.
TYPICAL JUNE HIGH 31°C 88°F
TYPICAL JUNE LOW 19°C 67°F

Atlanta has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) with no dry season: mild winters and hot, muggy summers. June is firmly into summer - warm, sticky days punctuated by afternoon and evening thunderstorms.

WHAT TO PACK
  • ☔ A compact umbrella - June afternoon thunderstorms are common
  • 🥵 Light, breathable clothing - hot and humid days
  • 🧴 Sunscreen - and a layer for fierce indoor air-conditioning

📜 FILE TIMELINE

2014
Construction begins on the Atlanta Falcons' replacement for the Georgia Dome, beside it in downtown Atlanta.
2017
Opens on 26 August; Atlanta United FC make it an instant soccer venue, drawing some of the largest club-football crowds in the United States.
2018
Stages the MLS Cup final before 73,019 - the building's football attendance record - as Atlanta United are crowned champions.
2019
Hosts Super Bowl LIII, the NFL's showpiece, under the closed retractable roof.
2022
Draws its all-time record crowd of 79,330 for the Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semi-final.
2026
Strips out its artificial turf and lays natural grass to stage five World Cup group-stage matches.
THE ALMANAC SPEAKS

Atlanta's pinwheel-roofed showpiece is a newcomer to the World Cup but no stranger to a big crowd - this is the ground that taught the United States to fill a stadium for soccer. They peeled up the plastic pitch and grew real grass for 2026, sealing the eight-petal oculus all week to coddle it and flinging it open for the cameras. Five group-stage matches, and a roof that shuts out the Georgia storms in under ten minutes flat.

— PROF. INKSWORTH, ARCHIVIST 🐙
Ready.
Zone: Historical