- Address: Atlanta
- Country: United States
- Capacity: 71,000
- Opened: 26 August 2017
- Main use: American football, football
- Tenants: Atlanta Falcons (American football), Atlanta United (football)
Extra stadium info – Mercedes-Benz Stadium
The construction of the venue, which has a retractable roof, started in 2014. The projected opening date was delayed three times due to the complexity of the eight-panel retractable roof. It became the stadium with the world’s largest halo board. In 2019, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium hosted its first-ever Super Bowl. 70,000 spectators showed up for the American football match. The New England Patriots from Massachusetts won the game after beating the Los Angeles Rams from California.
The Falcons and Matty Ice
The Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened with an American football match between the Atlanta Falcons and the Arizona Cardinals from Arizona. The Falcons play in the National Football League, the most popular American football competition in the world. The NFL team became the first American football team from Georgia with 1 million followers on its main social media page. The Atlanta Falcons signed Matthew Thomas Ryan, nicknamed Matty Ice, in 2008. He became the highest-paid American football player in the world. Ryan was born in Pennsylvania in 1985. He played for the American football team of the Boston College Eagles from Massachusetts before he signed with the Falcons.
Atlanta United
On 10 September 2017, Atlanta United played their first-ever game at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 45,000 people attended the Major League Soccer match against FC Dallas, which they won 3-0. In 2017, Atlanta United drew an average home league attendance of 48,000 in their inaugural Major League Soccer season. One year later, they drew an average home league attendance of 53,000. In 2018, Atlanta United won the MLS Cup for the first time in their history after beating the Portland Timbers from Oregon. 73,000 fans showed up for the match at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Venezuelan striker Josef Alexander Martínez Mencia scored the first goal of the game and the Argentine defender Franco Nicolás Escobar scored the second goal of the game.
The CONCACAF Champions Cup
Atlanta United Football Club played their first-ever game in the tournament which is currently known as the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2019. They reached the quarter-finals of the North American championship for football clubs that year. The Mexican side CF Monterrey defeated Atlanta United 3-0 in the first quarter-final. Atlanta United won their second quarter-final against CF Monterrey 1-0. CF Monterrey won the tournament after beating their arch-rivals Tigres de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León in a two-legged final.
