Atlanta is no stranger to major sporting events, but for some reason, today’s announcement is still overwhelming.

Atlanta is a host city for the 2026 World Cup.

With the help of MARTA, I can get to Mercedes Benz Stadium in 15 minutes from my house.

Sure, we don’t know if Atlanta will host anything beyond the first round, but given its history of successful hosting and its event infrastructure, one has to think that Atlanta is under serious consideration for any and all matches.

With a capacity of 71,000 that can be extended to 75,000, Mercedes Benz Stadium will hold more than all stadiums with the exception of AT&T Stadium in Dallas (80,000), Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City (76,416), and MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey (82,500).

Only MetLife Stadium would be able to compete with Atlanta on public transport, hotel room inventory, and airport.

Regardless aside, one has to think that Dallas, SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles (70,000), and Lumen Field in Seattle (72,000) are all contenders to host the Semi-Finals and Finals.

Dallas and Los Angeles would be a spectacle of the massive, loud stadiums.

Seattle is soccer-obsessed and would have near-perfect summertime weather during the Cup.

Regardless of which round Atlanta hosts, my family and I will attend as many matches as possible, cheering as loudly as possible.

I can’t wait. Only four more years to go.

Host cities for the 2026 World Cup

United States

• Atlanta - Mercedes-Benz Stadium (71,000)

• Boston - Gillette Stadium (65,878)

• Dallas - AT&T Stadium (80,000)

• Houston - NRG Stadium (72,220)

• Kansas City - Arrowhead Stadium (76,416)

• Los Angeles - SoFi Stadium (70,000)

• Miami - Hard Rock Stadium (65,326)

• New York/New Jersey - MetLife Stadium (82,500)

• Philadelphia - Lincoln Financial Field (67,594)

• San Francisco/Bay Area - Levi's Stadium (68,500)

• Seattle - Lumen Field (72,000)

Canada

• Toronto - BMO Field (30,000)

• Vancouver - BC Place (54,500)

Mexico

• Guadalajara - Estadio Akron (46,355)

• Mexico City - Estadio Azteca (87,523)

• Monterrey - Estadio BBVA (51,000)