Atlanta Falcons to make major change to stadium turf for World Cup 2026 – but it will not stay for NFL season
THE Atlanta Falcons are installing turf at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium - but not for the NFL.
Falcons bosses will provide a grass field for the World Cup soccer games due to be held at the stadium in 2026.
The turf changes will be made to comply with Fifa rules ahead of the tournament in two years.
Eight World Cup matches in total will be hosted at the arena, including a showpiece semi-final.
But Falcons president Greg Beadles has ruled out a permanent switch to grass from turf.
Beadles claims the location of the stadium, which opened in 2017 at a cost of $1.6 billion, means it is not possible to have a rollout field.
Due to its retractable roof design, the stadium would require a slide-out trayed field.
"We’re in a very tight location downtown, which is what the city of Atlanta leadership and state of Georgia leadership wanted," Beadles explained, via FOS.
"We like being on the Georgia World Congress Center campus but it’s a very tight campus. So we don’t have space to roll a whole field.
"It’s not just our decision where we are located. It’s just not tenable to have grass."
The stadium also holds multiple events a year, including the SEC Championship and music concerts.
Planned work on the Atlanta arena will be complete by 2026 and will see a number of improvements off the field.
Up to 200 suites will be renovated with an overhaul of the Wi-Fi systems, per the report.
Concession stands will be converted to auto-checkout, with kitchen facilities also set to be upgraded.
A 154-seat premium area dubbed the Chairman’s Lounge will also be created alongside upgrades to the video boards.
Currently, 17 out of 32 NFL teams play on turf.
In recent years, the NFL Players Association has lobbied for a complete takeup of grass fields to help reduce injuries.