Mercedes-Benz Stadium Sets New Standard During FIFA World Cup 2026

Stadium hosts 544,516 fans across eight matches including semifinal as the venue set records in technology, hospitality and sustainability; performance sets the stage for Super Bowl LXII in 2028 and Atlanta's next era of global events

July 22, 2026 - ATLANTA, GA - Following eight FIFA World Cup™ 2026 matches, Mercedes-Benz Stadium (MBS) reports a record-setting performance across technology, sustainability, food and beverage and fan experience. Throughout Atlanta’s hosting window, which included five group stage matches and three knockout rounds capped by a semifinal on July 15, the stadium welcomed 544,516 fans and an estimated 4,000 credentialed media representing more than 100 countries, with hundreds of millions more watching around the world. Exactly 30 years after Atlanta welcomed the world in 1996 for the Centennial Olympic Games, MBS delivered the biggest sporting event on earth with the same fan-first approach that has defined the stadium since opening.

MBS has garnered worldwide recognition for the fan-friendly food and beverage pricing it offers at every event, a staple of the venue’s fan experience since it opened. Driven by its matchday experience, downtown location, accessibility and affordability, MBS was the only venue to earn the No. 1 ranking at the FIFA World Cup 2026 from three independent national outlets: USA Today, The New York Times and Sports Illustrated.

While summer heat tested venues across the tournament, fans in Atlanta watched every match in climate-controlled comfort. Guests then stepped out of the building into downtown Atlanta, with two MARTA stations at the stadium's doorstep, more than 13,000 hotel rooms within walking distance and a single train ride to the world's busiest airport. On non-matchdays and matchdays alike, the World Cup excitement continued a block from the stadium as the FIFA Fan Festival at Centennial Olympic Park welcomed more than 500,000 fans across 19 operational days of free programming.

One of the world's most sustainable stadiums, and the first venue globally to earn TRUE Platinum certification for zero waste, MBS delivered a zero-waste World Cup, diverting 91% of all waste from landfill across eight matches and more than half a million fans. MBS also achieved LEED v4.1 O+M Platinum certification during the tournament, the highest recognition for the ongoing performance of an existing building. It confirms that nearly a decade after opening as a LEED Platinum venue, the stadium still operates at the highest sustainability standard, a milestone reached during one of the most demanding operational stretches in its history.

Beyond the matches, the fan experience extended to The Home Depot Backyard at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which was activated throughout the tournament and is now home to a permanent legacy mural made by local artist Trudy Tran celebrating Atlanta's World Cup moment.

MBS tournament highlights include:

544,516 fans welcomed across eight matches; 4,000 credentialed media

79 terabytes of data used on stadium Wi-Fi across the tournament, the equivalent of more than 220 million selfies posted from the stands, with 135,000 fans connecting to the network

18.3 TB of data usage during the semifinal alone, the second-highest total (2019 Super Bowl 24.05 TB) for any event in stadium history; two World Cup matches (R16 match 15.3 TB) now rank among the building’s top three data usage events ever

Nearly 1.4 million food and beverage items served across more than 585,000 transactions powered by Global Payments, over five times the transaction volume of Super Bowl LIII

118,054 Coca-Cola souvenir cups sold, an average of one every 1.5 seconds that concessions were open

175,565 bottles of Dasani water, 44,763 burgers and 42,363 bags of popcorn served at the same fan-friendly prices offered at every MBS event

91% of waste diverted from landfill across all eight matches, including 407,560 pounds of composted material and 94,000 pounds of recycled glass and cardboard

8,500 pounds of food recovered and donated to Atlantans in need through Second Helpings Atlanta

More than 800 pieces of furniture leftover from the tournament donated by AMB Sports and Entertainment to the Furniture Bank of Metro Atlanta and more than 3,000 pounds of fabric recovered to be upcycled into products by Atlanta nonprofit re:loom

LEED v4.1 O+M Platinum certification achieved during the tournament, the highest recognition for how sustainably an existing building operates, earned nearly a decade after MBS opened as a LEED Platinum venue

Since opening in 2017, Mercedes-Benz Stadium has hosted Super Bowl LIII, the 2018 MLS Cup and 2018 MLS All-Star Game, two College Football Playoff National Championships, Copa America 2024, the 2024 SheBelieves Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 and now the FIFA World Cup 2026. The building’s global calendar continues to grow, with NWSL Atlanta beginning play and Super Bowl LXII arriving in 2028, followed by the NCAA Men’s Final Four in 2031 and a steady rotation of globally renowned music artists.

TIM ZULAWSKI, PRESIDENT, AMB SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

"Across eight electrifying matches, this tournament represented the very best of what our city and state can accomplish together. Public and private partners throughout Atlanta and Georgia united behind a shared goal: to welcome the world and deliver an unforgettable experience worthy of the moment. I am especially grateful to our associates and volunteers, who brought the welcome-home spirit that defines Mercedes-Benz Stadium to every guest who walked through our doors. A World Cup is defined not just by the results of the matches, but by the moments people share. The memories created in Atlanta will endure for generations, for the people of Atlanta and the visitors we were honored to host."

About Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Opened in August 2017, Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a world-class sports and entertainment venue in downtown Atlanta and home to the National Football League’s Atlanta Falcons and Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United. The multi-purpose stadium was named the 2019 Sports Facility of the Year and is host to major sports and entertainment events, including the 2031 NCAA Men’s Final Four, 2026 World Cup, the 2018 and 2025 College Football Playoff National Championships, the 2018 MLS Cup, and Super Bowl LIII. Mercedes-Benz Stadium is the first professional sports stadium in North America to achieve LEED Platinum Certification and the first stadium worldwide to achieve TRUE Platinum Certification for zero waste by the United States Green Building Council. Mercedes-Benz Stadium is proud to be collaborating with naming rights partner Mercedes-Benz and thirteen founding partners including Coca-Cola, Equifax, The Home Depot, Novelis, SCANA Energy, Truist, IBM, Georgia Power, American Family Insurance, Global Payments, Ticketmaster, Delta Air Lines, and Emory.

To learn more about Mercedes-Benz Stadium visit www.mercedesbenzstadium.com.  Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X.

‍