00:07Atlanta is the capital and most popular city of the state of Georgia in the
00:12southeast of the United States. It is a city with a rich sporting heritage
00:19dominated by its hosting of the Olympic Games in 1996. Professional franchises
00:27include the Falcons in the NFL, the Braves in Major League Baseball and the Hawks in
00:33the NBA. The PGA Tour hosts its annual Tour Championship in the area, while Atlanta has
00:42nicknamed itself Running City USA for its commitment to road running, most notably the annual Peachtree
00:49Road Race, the world's largest 10-kilometer event.
00:54Atlanta, I mean, we all know Atlanta, a beautiful city, hosting many games, including one of
00:59the semi-finals. I mean, it will be vibrating and I'm looking forward to visiting all these
01:07cities.
01:08Atlanta is now one of the most football-focused cities in the United States. In 2017, Atlanta
01:17United joined an expanded Major League Soccer, winning the MLS Cup the following year.
01:25United, operated by Falcons owner Arthur Blank, share Mercedes-Benz Stadium with the NFL franchise,
01:32and locals have flocked to the arena in their thousands. The MLS average attendance is around
01:3822,000 fans per match. United average over double that, regularly setting single game and season-long
01:46attendance records. Opened in 2017, the $2 billion stadium has a retractable roof, a 6,000 square meter
01:56halo video screen, and the largest freestanding bird sculpture in the world.
02:02Well, what stands out is this. I mean, this venue, this stadium is absolutely incredible. It's special, it's unique. I
02:13came here already
02:15to witness it when it's full, what it means. It's special, it's particular, but Atlanta has really become
02:25a soccer city and the fact that the stadium was built where you can play football and soccer at the
02:32same
02:32time shows how much the city and everyone involved in sport in the city cares about the sport in general.
02:41From what I know, Atlanta isn't welcoming city, so it would be fantastic for the people in Atlanta to
02:47not just welcome the fans coming from abroad, but also to come here.
02:53During the World Cup, the venue will be known as Atlanta Stadium. It will host seven matches in total,
03:00four in the group phase, one each in the rounds of 32 and 16, and one of the semi-finals.
03:07It's capacity for the tournament will be around 71,000.
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