$10bn NFL owner announces surprise stadium pledge to traveling World Cup fans

The 2026 FIFA World Cup promises to be bigger and better than ever.

16 stadiums across the United States, Canada and Mexico will play host to 104 games this summer.

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In large, it will be NFL stadiums transforming into soccer stadiums, and they have a big list of requirements set out by FIFA.

One of the 2026 World Cup venues is the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which during the winter, is home to the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and the MLS’s Atlanta United.

The $1.8bn stadium has already started it cover up operation but will be granted a unique rules exemption by FIFA.

The venue is confirmed to be hosting eight matches, including one of the semi-finals.

Falcons owner, Arthur Blank, who is worth $10.3 billion according to Forbes, is pulling out all of the stops to make sure his stadium is the best during the tournament.

With the tournament beginning in just over a months time, Blank is confident that they can deal with the impending chaos.

“I know our stadium is ready. I mean, I can give you 100% assurance of that,” Blank told CBS News Atlanta. 

“And I think the city is ready, we’ve had great commitments from the mayor, from the governor, from everybody involved, all the agencies, etc. 

“There’s been a tremendous amount of planning that’s taken place over the last several years to make this a reality.”

There have been deep concerns about the impact the tournament will have on pricing, not just within the stadium, but outside too.

In order to maximise the fan experience, Blank revealed that prices at the Mercedes-Benz stadium will not be raised.

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“Fans give us their energy, their time, their passion, their resources, their families, whatever it may be, and we need to honor that in the truest sense of the word, whatever we can,” Blank told WSB-TV Atlanta. 

“We can’t always control what happens on the field, what happens on the pitch, but we can control the fan experience.”

Atlanta has also built a reputation for fan-friendly pricing in the past, particularly with the Falcons, where concessions and in-stadium costs have often been kept lower than league averages.

While FIFA largely controls the skyrocketing ticket prices, which have already surpassed $500 already.

Ticket resale prices for the July 15 semi-final at the stadium have already soared past $14,000 on some secondary markets.

However, Blank is focusing his billion-dollar influence on the factors he can control, the atmosphere and the accessibility of the concessions.

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As all eyes focus in on the hosting cities, Atlanta stands ready to prove that despite this being the biggest sporting event in the world, you can still get a hot dog and a soda for $5.

All 104 games at the 2026 World Cup this summer will be live on talkSPORT, talkSPORT 2 and the talkSPORT app.