Arthur Blank confirms fan-friendly pricing at Mercedes-Benz Stadium during World Cup

Atlanta is hosting eight FIFA World Cup matches this summer, including a semifinal on July 15. Across many of the other 15 host venues in North America, fans have already encountered steep ticket markups and transportation surcharges that have drawn widespread backlash.

At Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United owner Arthur Blank is drawing a different line. 

Blank told WSB-TV Atlanta that the fan-friendly concession pricing the stadium has maintained since opening in 2017 will stay in place throughout the World Cup.

"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 said.

Why Arthur Blank believes Atlanta's approach to fan pricing sets a different standard

Resale ticket prices for the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey have been reported above $8,200 for the cheapest options.

New Jersey Transit recently confirmed that fans would pay $150 for a round-trip train ticket from Manhattan to the venue on match days, more than ten times the typical fare. FIFA itself has drawn criticism for the face value pricing structure in some markets.

Atlanta's situation is different partly by design. Blank, also a co-founder of Home Depot, operates Mercedes-Benz Stadium under his company AMB Sports and Entertainment and has treated affordable access as a brand commitment rather than a business afterthought.

"We can't always control what happens on the field, what happens on the pitch, but we can control the fan experience," Blank told WSB-TV.

Among Atlanta's eight scheduled matches is a semifinal on July 15, one of only two games worldwide that will determine who reaches the final. Group stage matchups at the stadium include games priced as low as $246 at face value, according to EssentiallySports, which sits well below the pricing in cities like Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Blank also expressed confidence that Atlanta's infrastructure is prepared.

"I know our stadium is ready. I mean, I can give you 100% assurance of that," he 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."