The summer of soccer has finally rolled through the city of Atlanta like a freight train that’s testing the tracks for what’s shaping up to be an even wilder upcoming year. After a brilliant Club World Cup and now the Premier League Summer Series, the country is 311 days from the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Mercedes-Benz Stadium continues to impress not only newcomers in the United States, but those from abroad, on a regular basis. Scarves and Spikes caught up with fans and club personnel at the Premier League Summer Series on Sunday to get their opinions on their first experiences in Atlanta’s cathedral of the beautiful game.
“This place is incredible,” said one member of a participating Premiew League team’s staff while taking photos and videos of the stands. “No other stadium in England comes close to this, not even Wembley.”
The features that stood out to them? The modern and advanced technology, the concessions and pricing, the atmosphere, and the overall commanding presence of the stadium itself.
“Wembley’s wonderful, don’t get me wrong,” the staff member said, “but at this point it’s becoming dated, and this place is just mind-blowing.”
Pete, a Bournemouth fan from Orlando, described the Benz in one word as “impressive,” and said there’s no wonder it’s gained notoriety hosting so many big events.
“There’s great ambiance for soccer, it’s easy to get around, and it’s easy to park,” Pete said, noting he’s also a Jacksonville Jaguars fan and – though they don’t play the Falcons often – he would gladly make the trip back for an NFL game, too. In the meantime, though, he bragged that he’d be staying and spending the second of the two matches cheering on Everton to piss off the Manchester United fans in his section like a proper soccer fan.
An Everton fan we spoke with named Ryan had flown in from Boston for his first trip to the Benz to meetup with some college buddies – each of whom were cheering for a different team in the Summer Series matches.
“I’ve never been to any domed stadium,” he said. “The lighting, everything, it’s incredible. Seeing the fans of the teams who are playing is one thing, but just seeing all the fans that have no affiliation and are just soccer fans in general is really fun.”
One of the questions we were often asked in doing these interviews, especially by members of the various club staff, was about the roof and sunlight. The top was obviously closed on such a rainy day, but these conversations often led to explanations about adding grass inside the Benz over the normal turf that Atlanta United typically plays on. For the Summer Series, the grass was simply laid down and allowed to grow together during the short stint it’d be in place, but for the upcoming World Cup, staff will be removing the turf entirely. From there, the grass will be tended to like a fully outdoor stadium, with grow lights being utilized along with cutting and manicuring everything in preparation for the multiple matches to be played leading into and through the World Cup.
“It’s just beautiful, and so unique,” another team staff member told us, again while taking photos of the whole stadium. “I’ve never seen anything like it, and I’ve been to more stadiums in the world than most people will see in their lifetime.”
And what’s the beautiful game without sharing it with loved ones? Roman, Tony, and Christopher, a family from North Carolina who made the 5 hour drive to watch both games, all stepped into the Benz and initially said they were speechless.
“It’s absolutely phenomenal, it’s gorgeous,” exclaimed Tony. “You walk in and you don’t expect everything right there in your face like that. Making this trip was well worth it.”
“It’s giant!” said an ecstatic young Roman, who said he just loves the Premier League and was rocking a Mo Salah Liverpool kit.
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As Atlanta United fans, despite the team’s current struggles, Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a constant, consistent source of pride. It’s not an uncommon occurrence to see Atlanta natives ushering their friends or family around the stadium during their first visit to show off the facility, and Sunday was no different. During these interviews, we also ran into fans from Jamaica, Mexico, and a family who had flown in from Oklahoma, all of whom had one thing in common: that gawking, almost starstruck look as they rounded the corner to see the inside dome and pitch for the first time.
With the Benz making the transformation to a World Cup host venue in 2026, these stories will surely not slow down. But one thing is absolutely certain, Atlanta has a true right to brag about their stadium and everything it offers as it continues to impress both the domestic and international audiences for every event Mercedes-Benz Stadium hosts.
I love our stadium but getting in and out is a disaster. I went to both times Messi played in club World Cup and half the stadium was late arriving. Atlanta is incapable of handling game day traffic for large crowds. I still wonder how they are going to manage the crowds during the World Cup.
I have never parked for a game at MBS. I have also never had a problem entering or egressing the stadium. My super-secret……MARTA. Keep it on the down low.
And especially nice if one likes the scent of urine and feces…charming
I’ve used Marta twice and both times were a disaster. The way there was fine but we waited over an hour on the way back. We were also packed in so tight that you couldn’t even move. And this was during peak Covid times..
Exactly I used Marta, for the world cup they will be fine if the fans are ready.
Use MARTA to attend all of Atlanta’s matches (and I go to all of the home matches) and have never had any issues getting to MBS or getting into MBS. The stadium is a source of pride for the AtlUtd fans, and rightfully so.
100%, I started taking it a couple of times this year and besides certain stations not having the Apple Wallet ticket feature, it was super smooth. That should be settled way ahead of time though.
On principle and stadium with turf is not cathedral to futbol. If anything it is a cathedral to football that, oh, guess we can use this for fubtol also…which makes it kind of an afterthought of the beautiful game.
On another note, this is kinda funny…
Notoriety: “the state of being famous or well known for some bad quality or deed”
So yeah…I would agree…notorious alright. But to each their own. I know some folks consider Disney World to be a cathedral of sorts. But meh…
To be fair, the two matches were played on grass, so that is probably why the players had no problems.
Yeah..understand there has been temp grass…which is definitely better than the norm.
I don’t personally care for the stadium nor experience but acknowledge that is largely subjective. Just doesn’t seem accurate that it was built with soccer as the primary use much less a cathedral to the sport.
It’s big and flashy…the big part is why it is used for major US-based events. Not because FIFA visits and thinks, oh man, awesome futbol venue. They see $$$$ and think, eh, we can make this work…
If only the home team would perform up to the standard of its home.
Stadium, Training Facilities, Media Team, Crowd (when they had something to cheer for). There’s so much this team does more than right, it’s such a shame that they’re struggling in the primary function.