Like every other turf-field venue hosting the World Cup in 2026, Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium will install grass for those soccer games to meet FIFA rules. But any dreams of a permanent move to a natural playing surface can stop right here.

The Falcons are among 17 NFL teams that play on turf, much to the chagrin of the NFL Players Association, which has forcefully called for grass fields across the league. However, Greg Beadles, president of the Falcons, says that grass is not possible at Mercedes-Benz Stadium due to the 50-plus events staged there annually, including Falcons and Atlanta United games, plus the SEC Championship.

Beadles notes, too, that because Mercedes-Benz Stadium has a retractable roof that is often closed, a pivot to grass would require a trayed field that can slide out into a space adjacent to the venue. But the city and state encouraged the team to build in downtown Atlanta, which circumscribed the stadium campus, meaning there isn’t room for a rollout field.

“We’re in a very tight location downtown, which is what the city of Atlanta leadership and state of Georgia leadership wanted,” Beadles says. “We like being on the Georgia World Congress Center campus … but it’s a very tight campus. So we don’t have space to roll a whole field. It’s not just our decision where we are located. … It’s just not tenable to have grass.”

More Changes … Eventually

The Falcons do have big changes in the works, though, according to Beadles: They plan to spend $200 million upgrading Mercedes-Benz Stadium over the next few years, work that will be done haltingly and not be fully completed by the summer of 2026 when the venue hosts those World Cup games.

The planned work is not occurring because of any required Cup upgrades, and it isn’t tied to a Super Bowl pitch for 2028 or ’29, Beadles says. Ownership is creating and renovating luxury and premium seating areas. 

• Renovations to roughly 200 suites, an update of the Wi-Fi and distributed antenna cellular systems
• Kitchen renovations and conversions of some concession stands to auto-checkout
• Transforming a restaurant into a 154-seat premium area dubbed the “Chairman’s Lounge”
• Upgraded video boards over the next few years

Because of the volume of events at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, renovations will come piecemeal, meaning the work will take several years. The stadium opened in 2017 at an estimated cost of $1.6 billion.

The NFLPA’s second annual player team report cards were released Wednesday, revealing how the league’s stars and journeymen alike feel about their workplace. A total of 1,706 players gave feedback on their current club, with the union detailing grades across 11 key categories: treatment of families, food/cafeteria, nutritionist/dietitian, locker room, training room, training staff, weight room, strength coaches, team travel, head coach, and ownership.

Below are the top and bottom three teams, based on overall ratings, and some color into what those clubs’ players are happy and not pleased with:

Best in Class

1. Dolphins: Players gave the team straight A’s in all 11 key categories, and Stephen Ross (above) was the highest-ranked owner, receiving a rating of 9.9/10 “when considering his willingness to invest in the facilities.”

2. Vikings: Zygi Wilf (9.7) ranked second among owners, and the team’s worst grade was a B for the training staff. But players “unanimously believe that their strength staff contribute to their success by supporting each player with the best possible individualized plan.”

3. Packers: The majority of their key categories received B grades. While the “belief is that the club invests in making their workplace better year-over-year, [players do] call out a desire for the club to address the locker room and treatment of families.”

Time to Shape Up

30. Chargers: Three F’s were handed out, including for food, which “ranks last in taste and freshness.” Travel received a D-, as the Chargers use the “unique practice of sending equipment along with players and staff, which leaves the team sitting on the tarmac for an extended time waiting for the plane to be loaded or unloaded.”

31. Chiefs: Andy Reid got the only A grade as the league’s top-ranked head coach. Otherwise, there were four F’s for the two-time defending Super Bowl champions. Players are “frustrated by their workplace offerings, especially after the team’s sustained success in recent years.”

32. Commanders: First-year owner Josh Harris inherited a club that also finished last in the 2023 NFLPA rankings. When asked what the number-one issue respondents want to prioritize for fixing: “Most players couldn’t come up with just one. Instead, the common answer was the entire facility.”