Mercedes-Benz Stadium has been one of the most prominent venues in the United States over the past decade. Since its opening in 2017, the stadium has hosted a string of massive events, from Super Bowls to international soccer matches. Now, it is set to take on another global stage as one of the venues for the 2026 World Cup.
After hosting six matches at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, the home of the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, Atlanta Drive GC, and PGA TOUR Superstore will stage eight World Cup games in 2026. Located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, the venue is expected to drive a major wave of tourism as fans pour into the city for the tournament.
World Soccer Talk spoke with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Operating Officer Dietmar Exler, the former Mercedes-Benz USA CEO. Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, he discussed the lessons learned from the Club World Cup and why Mercedes-Benz Stadium could serve as inspiration for PSG’s new home.
Mercedes-Benz stadium and a busy schedule
Even beyond the Club World Cup, operations never slow down. Mercedes-Benz Stadium currently hosts 55 to 60 public events each year, ranging from international soccer to NFL preseason games and concerts in between. And according to Exler, every single event is treated with the same importance.
Post Malone performing at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“The most important event for us is always the next event. Whoever is the promoter, even if it’s a relatively small event in the international scale, for that promoter is a huge event. We always as a stadium have to give that promoter and everybody our full, undivided attention. Some events are bigger than others, there’s no doubt about that. And there’s also the big events where the entire city is involved, not only the stadium, but its entire infrastructure, but every event is majorly important.”
The importance of working with confederations beforehand
Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s preparation for 2026 has been shaped by its role in hosting major international soccer events, including the Club World Cup and Copa América. Those experiences, along with friendlies featuring national teams, have provided valuable opportunities to work with governing bodies.
“We had a few different things, but for us, this was the ideal setup. We had Mexico national team to play here, we also had last year the USWNT, so we had international soccer matches. The Club World Cup 6 matches and in the FIFA 2026 World Cup will be 8 matches, that allows us to work with CONMEBOL, with CONCACAF, with FIFA, and to really get to know each other.”
Exler stressed that collaborating with confederations ahead of time has been crucial for ironing out logistics and creating a better experience for both fans and players.
The Canada Team and the Argentina Team line up for the national anthem prior to the CONMEBOL Copa America group A match against Argentina at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on June 20, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
“The last Copa was the first time to really work closely with CONMEBOL and CONCACAF, with FIFA observing in the background. But for the opening they were all here, so it was a process to get to know each other. If you come to the stadium for the first time, you might have ideas but it won’t flow as much, so the Copa made it much easier for the CWC because we already knew each other a bit, and the partners knew the stadium.
“From Copa to CWC we did change some things: Media checking, we addressed it; operational behind-the-curtain topics, and then on the CWC, we just finished a meeting with FIFA last week, longer discussions about what worked, what didn’t work, what should be adjusted for 2026. To have this row of Copa, CWC, and World Cup to get to know each other makes it much easier.”
Natural grass: The brand-new feature
Artificial turf has long been a complaint among soccer players, particularly in NFL stadiums. With the 2026 World Cup in mind, Mercedes-Benz Stadium introduced natural grass for the Club World Cup — a move Exler said was met with strong approval: “We installed natural grass for the first time at the Club World Cup. It went really well. We got excellent feedback from teams and from FIFA, and we’re going to build on that.”
The grass for 2026 will be laid in February of that year ahead of the MLS season. Thanks to the stadium’s retractable roof, the surface can be maintained sustainably despite Atlanta’s climate. “It was a huge confidence boost to see it work in our environment,” Exler said. “We can grow grass here even if the roof is open.”
General view inside the stadium during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 round of 16 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami CF at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on June 29, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Security lessons after Copa América final controversy
The 2024 Copa América final was marred by chaos at Hard Rock Stadium, where fans broke through barriers, delaying the match by 82 minutes and creating dangerous overcrowding. Determined to avoid a repeat, Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Atlanta authorities have been preparing thoroughly.
Exler highlighted the contrast between American football and international soccer, and the steps his team has taken: “In American football you can go to every game with your wife and children and pretty much sit in every part of the stadium, we don’t have to separate fans, they might say things to each other, but there’s really no violence.
“Since we’re not used to that type of violence in American football, we’ve already started a year and a half ago with our security team to go all the way to Germany and spend three days with the German authorities, went to two or three different venues, not to view the match, but to work with the police and the stadium securities.
“Last year we went to Manchester United, to England, where fans, for a soccer match, have to be 100% separated. This is a foreign concept for most of American stadiums, but there we saw the security work, and when I say we, it’s not only the security from the stadium, but also the Atlanta police department.”
Atlanta United fans celebrating a team’s goal at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium also enforces a strict anti-fireworks protocol, confiscating items at entry or ejecting fans who sneak them in. The policy has been effective, and organizers have been working with FIFA and fan groups to coordinate safe arrival routes to the venue alongside law enforcement, another method to be implemented in 2026.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, an inspiration for PSG’s new home?
One of the highlights of the Club World Cup was the quarterfinal between PSG and Bayern Munich, which Exler described as smooth from an operational standpoint. With PSG planning to leave Parc des Princes for a new stadium, Atlanta’s venue has served as a model.
“I ended talking a lot with the business director of Paris Saint-Germain, they played here twice, and they wanted a private tour of the stadium. After the first time here, they called me and said, ‘We’re building a new stadium for PSG, we’re taking a look at other stadiums, I would like to walk through the whole stadium, show we what you think it works really well, but also what you’d not do again.’ As we have done the same between MLS stadiums and clubs, why we shouldn’t with PSG.
Paris Saint-Germain teammates stand together prior to playing in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 quarter-final match against FC Bayern München at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on July 05, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.
“They said ‘we’re extremely grateful, we were worried about how does it work out because we weren’t here ever,’ and the feedback was quite well. They also asked me for a visit to the Atlanta Falcons locker room, so I gave them a tour: Family areas, medical areas, what kind of equipment is used. It works really well, the grass was great, and that they could see a difference from a great stadium in Europe. The air conditioning in the stadium has also helped us to protect the fans from the heat, so the feedback was great.”
