When Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the International Olympic Committee, stepped up to the microphone on September 18, 1990, in Tokyo, Japan, to announce the host city of the 1996 Spring Olympic Games, no one anticipated what he would say.

“The International Olympic Committee has awarded the 1996 Olympic Games to the city of Atlanta,” he said to thunderous applause. Back home in the ATL, cameras captured scenes of a wild and rapturous celebration at Underground Atlanta, as local residents cheered and celebrated the thrilling news while fireworks shot into the sky on that beautiful fall morning. That unbridled excitement came from the knowledge that capturing the historic Centennial Olympiad would shine a global spotlight on Atlanta as a viable sports powerhouse and produce an economic impact never seen before in the city. In fact, the Olympics brought an unprecedented fiscal boom to Atlanta, infusing more than $5 billion into the local economy, according to the Metro Atlanta Chamber. And today, Atlanta is hotter than ever when it comes to attracting the most coveted national and global sporting events, with 2025 promising to be one of the best sports event-based years on record. And the reason is simple.

“With more than 13,000 hotel rooms, in downtown Atlanta, our walkable campus surrounded by state-of-the-art facilities and our unmatched hospitality, we have the infrastructure and people in place to host world-class events,” explains Erin Hendrickson, director of business development for the Atlanta Sports Council (ASC). “In addition, Atlanta’s airport connects the world globally to our city, making it easy for fans, players and event operators to visit our region. Atlanta offers a ‘ready to host’ city and region that is already organized across all of our stakeholders. And 2025 is a big year from a major event standpoint with all of our region’s marquee venues being used.”

So what’s in store for Atlanta? Let’s check it out.

2025 College Football Playoff National Championship Game

Atlanta kicked off the year in the limelight with the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship Game played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday, January 20. The bowl game pit the Ohio State Buckeyes against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and allowed Atlanta to showcase everything it has to offer college football fans from around the country. Yet, what really stood out was the fact that the 2025 game put the city in a category all its own as the only city to host the CFP twice—the first time being in 2018 when the Alabama Crimson Tide beat the “hometown” University of Georgia Bulldogs. And just as it did back in 2018, the CFP championship game made a huge economic impact on Atlanta this year; Lt. Governor Burt Jones noted that the event brought in $75 million for local restaurants, hotels, vendors and other businesses across the city. As the Metro Atlanta Chamber notes, it also drew 78,000 attendees—the second largest crowd for a CFP championship game.

NCAA Men’s Division Basketball Tournament Southeast Regional

March Madness is always one of the hottest tickets in town, and Atlanta’s State Farm Arena will welcome thousands of fans for several Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games this year. Three games between March 28 and 30 will be played at the downtown venue, with the first two being part of the Sweet 16 and the final game featuring two teams from the Elite Eight. The stakes are high for all of the games, as the winner of the Elite Eight matchup will move on to the Final Four game.

FIFA World Cup 2025

There is an incredible amount of excitement about Atlanta being one of the 16 cities to host the FIFA World Cup 2026, but it’s important to remember that local fans will get a taste of that event this year, as the city will also host six matches for the 2025 FIFA World Cup. Mercedes-Benz Stadium will host the six Round of 16 matches, being played between June 29 and July 1. The event will be an excellent precursor to the FIFA World Cup 2026, for which Atlanta will play a significant role as a host city.

2025 MLB All-Star Game

At the height of the summer season, Major League Baseball will bring its MLB All-Star Game to Atlanta’s Truist Park. The Midsummer Classic will be hosted by the Atlanta Braves and played on July 15 as part of a multi-day celebration that includes a host of All-Star week events. It will be the first time the game has been played at Truist Park, as the last All-Star game in Atlanta took place in 2000 at Turner Field. The game was moved from Atlanta in 2021; the return could boost the state economy by upwards of $100 million thanks to the tourism associated with the event.

FIFA World Cup 2026

While the FIFA World Cup will be part of Atlanta’s bustling sports event schedule in 2025, next year promises to be even more exciting when it comes to the world of soccer. According to Hendrickson, “The FIFA World Cup 2026 will begin on Thursday, June 11, 2026, and the final match will be held Sunday, July 19, 2026. Atlanta will be hosting eight matches, including a semifinal. Exactly 30 years after the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, Atlanta will again be hosting a global audience and the world’s greatest athletes for the FIFA World Cup 2026.” The effort came to fruition thanks to the work of the Atlanta Sports Council, the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, Atlanta United FC, the City of Atlanta, the Georgia World Congress Center

Authority, Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the State of Georgia. The event is expected to draw more than 500,000 attendees, and Boston Consulting Group’s 17/18 Economic Impact Analysis revealed that the Georgia should see a $503 million economic impact thanks to its hosting duties. According to the report, “Additional labor income due to the influx of spectators is estimated at $171.6 million….FIFA World Cup 26 will be unlike any event Atlanta has hosted since the 1996 Olympic Games.”

More to Come

As Hendrickson notes, “The economic impact from hosting major sporting events helps drive our region’s hospitality and tourism community. As an organization, the Atlanta Sports Council’s focus is centered around continuing to bring major global sporting events that will cement the city’s legacy as a world-class host.” With the 2025 schedule already jam-packed and the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the horizon, the ASC has also helped the city secure Superbowl LXII in 2028 and the NCAA Men’s Final Four in 2031. And there’s much more to come.

Metro Atlanta’s Top 5 Sports Venues

Metro Atlanta boasts a number of top-tier sports venues that not only host a wide variety of professional sports events, but also drive tourism, create jobs and generate revenue by attracting thousands of residents and visitors alike to cheer on their favorite teams throughout the year. Here are some of the most notable spots to check out in the ATL:

1. Mercedes-Benz Stadium: Opened in 2017, this state-of-the-art venue serves as the home of both the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC. The stadium features a retractable roof and a 360-degree halo video board, making it one of the most advanced facilities in the country.

2. Truist Park: Home to the Atlanta Braves, Truist Park, located in Cobb County, opened in 2017. The stadium offers a modern fan experience with a variety of entertainment options, including the Battery Atlanta, a mixed-use development with shops, restaurants and bars that surrounds the ballpark.

3. State Farm Arena: Basketball fans know this downtown spot as the home of the Atlanta Hawks, as well as the go-to locale for ice hockey games and WWE matches. Renovated in recent years, State Farm Arena is known for its comfortable seating, impressive acoustics and top-tier facilities.

4. Gas South Arena: Located in Duluth, the arena offers fans the chance to catch minor league ice hockey games featuring the Atlanta Gladiators, as well as matches by professional lacrosse team the Georgia Swarm and professional volleyball team the Atlanta Vibe.

5. Atlanta Motor Speedway: A 40-minute drive south of Atlanta is Hampton, where the Atlanta Motor Speedway has hosted NASCAR and IndyCar events since 1960. The high-speed 1.54-mile quad-oval intermediate track allows for thrilling races, thanks in part to the 28 degrees of banking in the turns and five degrees of banking in the straightaways.

Newer Kids on the Block: Atlanta’s Newest Sports Teams

Every sports fan knows the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, the MLB’s Atlanta Braves and the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. But in recent years, additional sports teams have been added to that impressive title-clinching collection of squads. Get your tickets now to be dazzled by these stellar teams.

The Georgia Swarm: Lacrosse is making its mark these days on the sports world, so it’s no surprise that Atlanta became home to a professional lacrosse team in 2016: the Georgia Swarm. Competing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL), the Swarm originally was the Montreal Express; after it moved to Atlanta, the team won the NLL championship title in 2017.

Atlanta United FC: Officially founded in 2014, Atlanta United FC, the city’s professional soccer team, began playing in the ATL in 2017. The team, which has garnered a passionate and dedicated fan base, plays at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and took home the Major League Soccer (MLS) championship cup in 2018.

The Atlanta Vibe:  Atlanta’s first professional women’s volleyball team burst onto the scene in August of 2023, playing in the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF). The team, which officially launched during the 2024 season, plays at Gas South Arena in Gwinnett County and has built an impressive roster of exceptional players over the last two years.

Goal! Fayetteville is the future home of the U.S. Soccer National Training Center

In April of 2025, U.S. Soccer broke ground on the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center in Fayetteville. Located only 35 minutes south of Atlanta, Fayetteville provided the perfect location for the facility, which will serve as the new headquarters and first-of-its-kind national training center for the organization. The campus will serve all 27 of U.S. Soccer’s Men’s, Women’s, Youth and Extended National teams, as well as help to develop youth players, offer coaching and referee training and support the growth of soccer’s popularity across the country.

According to Lori Funderwhite, director of economic development for Fayetteville, “Our motto in Fayetteville is that there are ‘no limits on imagination.’ It’s important to be a part of a community and local government that is open to growth and opportunity. The City of

Fayetteville prides itself on strategic growth, ensuring that what comes into the city will be a catalyst for continued revitalization and smart growth. With Fayetteville being home to Trilith Film Studios, as well as a new seven million-square-foot QTS data center under construction, and a new major 38-acre mixed-used downtown development underway, U.S. Soccer will become part of Fayetteville’s growing hub for sports, arts and entertainment.”

The facility is well under construction and slated to open in the spring of 2026 in advance of the 2026 FIFA World Cup games in Atlanta. Funderwhite notes that the facility, and U.S. Soccer, will bring significant economic impact to the city, with the creation of 400 jobs and an influx of more than 200,000 annual visitors. What’s more, she says, “In addition to this being a game-changing project for Fayetteville, we are excited about the prospect of world-renowned athletes coming into our community who are visible to our youth. We have very active youth soccer leagues in Fayetteville, and this project will bring world-class athletes and tournaments to our front door. We are proud U.S. Soccer chose Fayetteville for their new home and flagship facility. We truly feel there are no limits on what our partnership can be here and look forward to our continued collaboration with U.S. Soccer.”

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