Atlanta sports mogul Arthur Blank has vowed to keep prices down for soccer fans headed to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the 2026 World Cup. The buildup to this summer's soccer showpiece has been dominated by controversy over the cost of tickets and public transportation, with fans facing eye-watering price hikes in many host cities.
Blank, who owns the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United FC, and helped bankroll the USA's new $228 million national training base, has promised to keep a trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium affordable. Atlanta will host eight World Cup matches this summer, including a semifinal, and Blank has insisted supporters will not be fleeced at the venue.
'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 WSBTV. 'We can't always control what happens on the field, what happens on the pitch, but we can control the fan experience.'
He insisted: 'People will feel extraordinarily welcomed. They're going to have a great experience inside the building, outside the building. If they're in the building, they're going to find the same welcome home atmosphere. They're going to find the same commitment to food and beverage values, which starts with low pricing, quality, quantity, etc. So, I think they're going to walk away from Atlanta saying: "We need to come back here and visit more often. We got to consider moving here."'
As it stands, the cheapest ticket to the World Cup final is currently more than $8,200 on one resale site. The cost of heading to MetLife Stadium this summer is among the controversies that have sparked outrage among supporters. NJ Transit recently announced that fans face paying $150 for a return train ticket from Manhattan to MetLife, more than 10 times the typical fare.
