In just more than six weeks, the FIFA 2026 World Cup tournament will make a home in Atlanta, transforming the city into a soccer fanfest.
Eight matches will be hosted at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, including two early matches with tournament favorite Spain and a semifinal match.
While the more than 67,000-person stadium is no stranger to major sporting events — having hosted the Super Bowl, college football playoffs and the soccer Club World Cup — it’s going to look a bit different when international soccer players take center stage.
Earlier this week, workers with the stadium scaled the exterior of the building to hang a massive FIFA banner over the Mercedes-Benz logo.
The iconic three-spoke image gave way to the 2026 World Cup logo and image of the FIFA championship trophy.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium is just the latest host venue to cover its cooperate sponsorship, a rule across the FIFA tournament. It’s the norm, however, for stadiums in the United States to be named after their sponsor.
“Investing time and resources to protect its brads is of paramount important to FIFA in order to secure the revenue streams which enable us to support our various technical, medical, educational and other social development initiatives as well as the FIFA men’s women’s and youth competitions,” the organization said last year.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium will now be referred to as Atlanta Stadium for the duration of the World Cup festivities and coverage.
The Atlanta Stadium, however, is the only stadium in the U.S. with a special FIFA exemption.
When the roof of the stadium is open, there is no branding that is visible from the top. However, when the roof closes, the interlocking pieces form the Mercedes-Benz logo.
According to a report from The Athletic, stadium operators in Atlanta were negotiating with FIFA for months to find a way to cover the branding on the retractable roof. Eventually, the organization acknowledged it was impossible to change the structure of the roof without damage.
Atlanta Stadium will be the only location in the tournament where one of the large branding emblems will be visible.
While the Mercedes-Benz logos will be returned to their place on the facade after the tournament, Atlanta Stadium’s exterior isn’t the only area experiencing a major change.
The field at Mercedes-Benz has also swapped out their turf for real grass, another FIFA requirement. It was used by Atlanta United during pre-World Cup matches this spring.
The grass on the field now will not be what the players use come June, which will instead come from a specific grass farm in Colorado that contracts with FIFA. The real grass is a hybrid that more closely mimics professional soccer pitches around the world.
The change has reignited a now old debate within the National Football League when stadiums will have to choose to ditch the grass at the completion of the tournament and go back to turf for the 2026 season, or keep up the new maintenance.
Many within the NFL, including players, hope the real grass will stay, particularly as turf lends itself to more serious injuries. MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which will host the World Cup Final, is notorious for causing serious injuries on its artificial turf.
During a previous Women’s World Cup tournament, a group of players sued FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association for making them play on artificial turf when the men were required to play on grass. The lawsuit was eventually dropped, but the debate remained.
Atlanta will be host to eight matches over the month-long tournament, including five group stage matches, one Round of 32 match, one Round of 16 match and a semifinal match.
Irene Wright covers the FIFA World Cup as the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
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