COMMERCE CITY, Colorado — The U.S. Soccer Federation is finalizing plans to stage two high-profile U.S. World Cup tuneups within days of each other at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the spring, multiple sources told Yahoo Sports.
In a highly unusual arrangement, the national team would face Portugal and Belgium at the same location in late March — the final international window before Mauricio Pochettino selects his 26-man World Cup squad.
The Athletic was first to report Portugal and Belgium as the probable opponents. Last month Fox Sports reported the U.S.-Portugal match, featuring superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, would take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and that Atlanta was among the candidates for the second game.
However, the USSF now seems intent on playing both games at the retractable-roof facility, which is home to the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and MLS’ Atlanta United, three sources said.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium officials said they did not want to comment and referred questions to the USSF, which also declined to speak on the matter.
Hosting two matches in one city would allow the USSF to stage multiple non-game events around the team’s extended stay and strengthen ties with the Atlanta area, the future site of federation headquarters and the national training center.
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The only time in recent years the U.S. team played back-to-back friendlies at the same venue was the 2016 winter camp in Carson, California, but that fell outside an official FIFA window with secondary players for games in a small stadium.
Typically, the U.S. team reports to camp in a metro area on Monday, plays there on Friday or Saturday, then moves to another city for a friendly the following Tuesday.
For instance, in the current window, Pochettino’s team trained in Austin, Texas, before playing Ecuador last Friday, then traveled to the Denver area for Tuesday’s friendly against Australia. Next month the Americans will report to greater Philadelphia before a match against Paraguay, then face Uruguay in Tampa.
The March window, however, allows for higher-profile matches involving European teams that have qualified for the World Cup. Atlanta was a natural choice for one match because, in preparation for hosting eight World Cup matches, Mercedes-Benz Stadium will install a grass field in early 2026. In addition, Atlanta United is MLS’ best-supported team.
Appearing on a Friday night or Saturday, Ronaldo and Portugal would help sell tickets and perhaps fill the stadium, which holds more than 71,000. (Portugal is on pace to qualify for its seventh consecutive World Cup.)
A Belgium game on a Tuesday would not have the same drawing power, but for aesthetic purposes, the stadium would drape off the upper deck – a common practice for Atlanta United matches – and accommodate as many as 42,500. Belgium is expected to qualify for the World Cup, though it is in a tighter race.
The U.S. men’s team has played 2015 Gold Cup and 2024 Copa América matches in Atlanta but hasn’t held a friendly there since 1977.
The proposed games would further strengthen the USSF’s ties to greater Atlanta. The organization is building a headquarters and training center about 20 miles south of the capital in Fayetteville, Georgia. The facility is named for Arthur M. Blank, the Falcons and Atlanta United owner who pledged $50 million to the project. His company, AMB Sports and Entertainment, operates Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The new training center will not be completed in time for the U.S. team’s proposed March visit; the delegation probably would use Atlanta United’s facility in Marietta, Georgia.
