{"id":18877,"date":"2026-05-21T15:18:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T15:18:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/18877\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T15:18:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T15:18:13","slug":"fifa-world-cup-2026-atlantas-stadium-keeps-its-iconic-mercedes-benz-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/18877\/","title":{"rendered":"FIFA World Cup 2026: Atlanta\u2019s Stadium Keeps Its Iconic Mercedes-Benz Star"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Mercedes-BenzOn the west side of the stadium, transparency creates a 16-story window offering panoramic views of the Atlanta skyline. Credit: HKO<\/a><\/p>\n

FIFA has designated the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Georgia as a venue for the 2026 World Cup, hosting eight matches starting June 15, 2026. FIFA<\/a> has banned sponsorship by non-official tournament advertisers at stadiums; hence, the change of the stadium\u2019s name to Atlanta Stadium. However, due to the technical impossibility of covering the roof without compromising its sophisticated retractable structure, it will retain its iconic three-pointed star, the symbol of Mercedes-Benz<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The complex currently serves as the home of the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL and Atlanta United in the MLS. Administrators recently installed natural grass on the playing field to meet FIFA\u2019s regulatory requirements.<\/p>\n

Engineering inspired by the Pantheon in Rome<\/p>\n

The main architectural attraction lies in its retractable steel roof, composed of eight modules covered with translucent ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE<\/a>) and weighing 500 metric tons. The panels slide on rails to open or close the structure in less than eight minutes. The opening and closing process of the panels resembles the movement of a camera\u2019s diaphragm.<\/p>\n

The stadium, inspired by the Roman Pantheon, was built by HOK<\/a> and required 21,000 metric tons of structural steel. Arthur Blank, owner of the NFL\u2019s Atlanta Falcons and MLS\u2019s Atlanta United, financed the project with a US$1.6 billion investment. Thanks to the sustainable engineering integrated into the stadium, it received LEED Platinum certification for sustainable waste management. In Blank\u2019s words: \u201cWe set out to build a stadium that not only exceeded expectations but also pushed the boundaries of what was possible in terms of stadium design, fan experience, and sustainability.\u201d<\/p>\n

A screen that redefines the indoor viewing experience<\/p>\n

The Halo Board stands out inside as a 360-degree circular screen. This digital structure covers 5,760 square meters (62,000 square feet) and transmits high-definition images to the stands. Operators manage the system alongside 4,000 other monitors in the concourses.<\/p>\n

The venue has a capacity of 71,000 spectators and offers excellent visibility from every seat.<\/p>\n

Official schedule of matches for the 2026 World Cup<\/p>\n

This venue is scheduled to host five first-round matches and three knockout stage matches. FIFA has set the following schedule of official matches for the stadium in Georgia\u2019s capital:<\/p>\n

June 15: Spain vs. Cape Verde<\/p>\n

June 18: South Africa vs. Czech Republic<\/p>\n

June 21: Spain vs. Saudi Arabia<\/p>\n

June 24: Morocco vs. Haiti<\/p>\n

June 27: Uzbekistan vs. Democratic Republic of Congo<\/p>\n

July 1: Round of 32<\/p>\n

July 7: Round of 16<\/p>\n

July 15: Semifinal<\/p>\n

Thermal mitigation and mass public transport<\/p>\n

Atlanta experiences average temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius (86\u00b0F) in June and 31 degrees Celsius (88\u00b0F) in July. The humidity level frequently exceeds 70 percent during the summer. The air conditioning system maintains a comfortable indoor temperature, while the retractable roof shields spectators from rain.<\/p>\n

The MARTA rapid transit system connects directly to the stadium via the blue and green lines. Users can access the stadium on foot for a flat fare of US$2.50 per trip, avoiding traffic congestion in the city center.<\/p>\n

With all these preparations, a real Mercedes-Benz is now ready to receive, in all its luxurious detail, the most coveted cup in the world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On the west side of the stadium, transparency creates a 16-story window offering panoramic views of the Atlanta…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18878,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20951],"tags":[6323,20759,22289,20203,3622,481],"class_list":["post-18877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mercedes-benz","tag-atlanta","tag-fifa","tag-fifa-world-cup-2026","tag-georgia","tag-mercedes-benz","tag-united-states"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18877"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18877\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}