We bought tickets to one World Cup game in Atlanta. We got them through the lottery last fall, and, at the time, we had no idea which countries would be playing in the game. I was very excited this spring when I learned that Spain would be playing, as they were favored (at the time) to win the tournament.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium was built about 10 years ago, and it is a beautiful stadium.
The stadium is a grand venueThe stadium is enclosed and air-conditioned, but the roof can open up if there’s good weatherFrom the interwebs, here’s a view of the stadium roof open and closed, it’s like the aperture of a cameraA mural of Atlanta and Georgia figures with the stadium pitch and seating beyondPublic art in the stadium made from plastic bottle capsThe stadium is also used for the Atlanta Falcons football team, so there is a sort of football alley with info signage (this photo from a private tour in 2019)More art, this time of the American football variet
We’ve been there to watch a few Atlanta United soccer games.
Waiting for an Atlanta United game to startDuring a gameThe seating area with the Footie Mob, the diehard fans of Atlanta UnitedPyrotechnics after a goalI attended a game in a box suite with clientsPrivate seating in the suite
We also got to go on a private tour of the building with some of my Gensler colleagues in 2019. The stadium is used for the Atlanta United soccer team and also for the Atlanta Falcons football team.
The tour started in the merch shop, of course, and Chad bought a jerseyGensler folks on tourThere is a lecture hall inside the stadium for who-knows-what-reasonArthur Blank owns the Atlanta Falcons and the Atlanta United, and this is his private suite – gorgeous!One of my favorite moments from the tour was when my colleague’s boyfriend asked, “Does Arthur Blank ever spend the night here? And when he does, does he just go running around on the field wearing only his bathrobe and yelling “wheee!!!” (take note of the antique Mercedes-Benz on the landing upstairs)The food area in the owner suite – way nicer than the food area in the box suitesA tour of the Atlanta Falcons locker room – huge!The Atlanta United locker roomJerseys on display in the locker roomA favorite playerThe private Gensler tour included going out onto the pitchOn the fieldThe Gensler gang
Due to FIFA rules, there were some transformations to the stadium for the World Cup. First of all, the US football field size is about 10 yards narrower than a FIFA soccer field, so some of the lower spectator seating was removed to widen the field. Also, FIFA doesn’t allow any commercial branding, so the Mercedes-Benz signage on the facade was covered up, and the stadium is temporarily called Atlanta Stadium. The ban on branding also translated inside where locally branded concession areas were given generic names. Even the branding on things like condiment bottles and restroom soap dispensers had to be covered up. Crazy.
Mercedes-Benz stadiumNotice that the Mercedes-Benz signage has been covered up
We went to the game with Chad’s sister, Michele, and our friend Hans and approximately 68,000 other people. It was so much fun to watch the game live and in person and feel the energy of a stadium full of people.
We are Atlanta!At the game with Michele and HansView of the stadium during warm-up before the gameThe national flags during the national anthems before the gamesThe jumbotron after one of Spain’s goalsSpain won 4-0
My favorite part, though, was being in a crowd with people from all over the world and speaking a variety of languages. We met Saudi Arabians on the way inside, and some guys from Guatemala sat behind us during the game. It was so cool to be part of a global community event.
The packed Marta train on the way to the game – this was a Sunday morning and Marta was running trains every 2 minutes when it normally runs trains every 20 minutes on SundaysFIFA recognized the Muslim religious rules for the fans of Saudi ArabiaThe crowd after the gameLeaving the stadium
After the game, we walked around the area, in the intense summer heat, to check out the pop-up shops in the Gulch area (lame) and to visit the newly renovated former CNN center which so far seems to only be a re-do of the food court (also lame).
Leaving the stadiumWalking through the Gulch towards downtown – I used to work in the really tall, black-glass building on the rightI worked on this Signia by Hilton hotel while at Gensler, and I love the World Cup graphic on the facadeI also worked on this Reverb by Hard Rock hotel while at Gensler, and I saw it on the way out of the stadiumSwag picked up on the way home
We then headed back to Marta for the short ride home. We got home around 4pm and did nothing for the rest of the day, exhausted from the heat. But the experience was totally worth it.
Every game attendee was handed one of the cards for free – a QR code on the back takes you to the FIFA merchandise store
