Atlanta Mayor: Soccer is going to be a huge part of our future

The city of Atlanta received some exciting news on Tuesday when the NFL awarded Super Bowl 53 to the city in February 2019. The huge football event and pop culture circus will be just one of many huge sporting events to take place in the city in the next five years.

Along with the beginning of Atlanta United, the city's brand new MLS expansion franchise set to begin play in 2017, you can also expect to see some world-class soccer events coming to Atlanta.

It's expected that the United States will bid for the 2026 World Cup and if they do, Atlanta's new state of the art stadium could be a prominent feature in the bid. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed told 92.9 The Game on Wednesday that the city was in the plans for the USA's bid for the 2022 World Cup that eventually went to Qatar.

Soccer will play a huge part in Atlanta's sporting landscape when Mercedes-Benz Stadium is finished being built. It will house Atlanta United and it could host many more high-profile soccer matches and tournaments. The Mayor believes that the sport of soccer will be a pillar for the city's sporting scene to lean on.

"I think soccer is going to be a huge part of our future. I'm thrilled about the MLS team in the city of Atlanta," Reed told 92.9 The Game.

While football and basketball will get some of the spotlight in Atlanta, soccer will be right there along with them once the new stadium is finished being built.