Atlanta in running for 2031 Women’s World Cup matches, key tournament events

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Atlanta could be in line for another major international soccer tournament, with Mercedes-Benz Stadium proposed as a venue for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup and other local landmarks under consideration for tournament events.

The plans are part of a joint bid by the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica. In a newly released evaluation, FIFA gave the bid an overall score of 4.4 out of 5 and said it exceeded the minimum hosting requirements.

The bid still must be considered by FIFA’s decision-makers. The report says the host selection is scheduled for FIFA’s extraordinary congress on Nov. 23, 2026. Even if the four-nation bid is selected, final host cities, stadiums and event locations would still need to be determined.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium makes the bid

Atlanta is one of 20 potential host cities assessed in the evaluation, which also includes 20 stadiums across the four countries. The bid lists Mercedes-Benz Stadium as a venue for all match categories, and FIFA gave it a technical score of 4.5 out of 5.

The report says the stadium’s approximately 71,000-seat gross capacity exceeds the minimum required for both the opening match and final. The bid did not designate a stadium for the opening match or final.

FIFA cited Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s access to the airport and public transportation, retractable roof and experience hosting international soccer. The report said the stadium hosted six matches during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and eight during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including a semifinal.

The stadium’s artificial turf would need to be converted to natural grass for the tournament, as it was for the 2026 World Cup, the report says. FIFA said no significant construction or renovation work is currently planned.

Fox Theatre, Woodruff Arts Center proposed for draw

The bid also proposes Atlanta as the principal location for events associated with the tournament, citing the city’s international connections and concentration of hotels and entertainment venues.

Two Midtown venues — the Fox Theatre and the Woodruff Arts Center — are proposed as options for the tournament draw, when participating teams are placed into groups.

For a team workshop, the bid proposes the Georgia World Congress Center’s Georgia Ballroom or the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre as an alternative.

FIFA said the proposed event sites appear well positioned to meet tournament requirements, though further planning and assessment would be needed to confirm operational needs. The organization rated the overall risk for competition-related event sites as low.

A bigger tournament, and work still ahead

The 2031 tournament is set to be the first Women’s World Cup with 48 teams, up from 32. FIFA says the expansion will increase the number of matches from 64 to 104. The bid proposes a tournament running from mid-June to late July.

FIFA praised the four-nation bid’s existing stadiums, major-event experience and commercial potential. But it also identified areas that need more work if the bid is selected.

The organization rated the bid’s overall contractual framework as high risk, noting that some host-city and stadium commitments remain nonbinding or incomplete. It also rated human rights and environmental protection as medium risks, citing the need for more detailed human rights measures and the impact of air travel across a large tournament footprint.

The evaluation covers a representative group of 20 proposed cities and stadiums, but the bid puts forward a larger pool of more than 30 cities and more than 45 stadiums for possible future consideration.

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