Mercedes-Benz Stadium could host a World Cup Semi-Final in 2026

Mercedes-Benz Stadium has hosted and will host some incredibly high-profile events in the American sports landscape. The Benz has already hosted the College Football Playoff National Championship Game (don’t remind me) and will host the MLS All-Star Game, the Super Bowl, the Final Four, and a few mega concerts over the next few years. When it comes to the world’s most popular sport, Atlanta already has the three highest single-game attendance totals in MLS history. That ability to draw large crowds plus the sheer awesomeness of the stadium has attracted the eyes of FIFA.

That’s right, folks. Atlanta will host a World Cup semi-final if the USA/Mexico/Canada bid is chosen for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This would be a HUGE get for the city of Atlanta. In my travels to different parts of the globe, people always recognize Atlanta as the city that hosted the Olympics in 1996. Well, no offense to the Olympics, but this would be way bigger than that in my opinion. This is THE world’s most popular sport, and the winner of the game in Atlanta would be heading to the World Cup Final!

Last time the USA hosted a World Cup, the host sites were not that great for the most part (looking at you Silverdome). However, the Final was at the Rose Bowl, which is one of the best venues in the entire country (I may be a little biased on that one). This time around, the final would be at MetLife Stadium in New York (well, technically New Jersey), and the other semi-final would be at JerryWorld (AT&T Stadium) just outside of Dallas.

Atlanta is the perfect city to host a huge World Cup game. It’s centrally located and easy to get to thanks to having the world’s busiest airport. There are few places in the world that don’t offer flights to Atlanta, or at least a flight that will get you somewhere where you can easily then get to Atlanta. We’ve already seen how popular soccer has become here, and by then, Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be well versed in hosting big-time events. This is great news… Now we just have to wait 8 more years.