Why is food and drink for World Cup fans so much cheaper in Atlanta?
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Why is food and drink for World Cup fans so much cheaper in Atlanta?

Economy World


With record-high ticket, travel, and accommodation prices, the cost of the World Cup has burned a hole in the pockets of local and international fans planning to attend a game this summer — and that’s even before they reach the stadium.

Concession prices have already started to do the rounds on social media, with some international fans indignant about the cost, while many U.S.-based fans, well accustomed to inflated stadium prices, wonder what all the fuss is about.

But there’s one man, Arthur Blank — whose holding company AMB Sports and Entertainment owns the Atlanta Stadium (typically known as the Mercedes-Benz Stadium), and who also owns its tenants the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta FC — who prides himself on doing things a bit differently. Food and beverage prices at the Atlanta Stadium will have a markedly lower impact on supporters’ bank balances this summer, owing to a “fan-first” scheme driven by Blank.

Here, The Athletic explains why and how Atlanta Stadium is unique in concession pricing.

What are the typical food and drink prices at the World Cup?

There is no uniform set menu at concession stands for the World Cup, and venues are free to price food and drink as they please.

At the New York/New Jersey (typically known as MetLife Stadium), which hosted last Saturday’s 1-1 draw between Brazil and Morocco and is the venue for the World Cup final, food prices are at the top end of what you would expect to pay at a Premier League match.

According to this image posted on X by New Jersey Advance Media journalist Brian Fonseca, a combo meal (including four chicken tenders, fries, and a Coca-Cola) costs $19 (without the six per cent New Jersey added sales tax), around £14 at the time of writing. The four-piece tender meal without a drink is $15 (£11), a portion of fries is $8 (£6), while a hot dog is $8.50 (£6.30).

Prices are higher at the Los Angeles Stadium (usually SoFi Stadium), which will host a quarter-final, though the menu items differ.

According to a picture posted by Los Angeles-based journalist Arash Markazi, the most expensive item at a concession stand is the beef-loaded nachos ($19.75; £14.70, without Los Angeles’ combined 9.75 per cent sales tax), while the cheapest “meal” is a bean and cheese burrito ($16.50; £12.30).

According to FootyScran, a page on X which posts stadium food from around the world, a three-piece chicken tender meal at Wembley Stadium, England’s home ground, is £12.50 ($16.80). The same meal at Aston Villa’s Villa Park costs £10 ($13.50).

The most visible discrepancy is in beverage prices. The concession stand at MetLife Stadium, pictured, lists four alcoholic beverages, ranging from $16 for a 16-oz (454ml) canned American beer to $19 for a hard seltzer (16oz) or a canned cocktail (12oz; 354ml). The “premium American beer” at SoFi Stadium is $18.50 (£13.80), before tax.

Water at MetLife Stadium is $5 (£3.70), at SoFi it is $5.25 (£3.90), and at the Dallas Stadium (typically known as AT&T Stadium), which will host one semi-final, it’s a quite ridiculous $8.25 (£6.20).

Depending on the event, fans visiting Wembley Stadium can expect to pay between £6 ($8) and £8.50 ($11.40) for a pint of beer (16oz; 568ml), with significantly lower prices available at other stadiums around the league.

Emirates Stadium, the home of Premier League champions Arsenal, runs a fan-first pricing scheme on matchdays, with discounted drinks up to an hour before kick-off: pints of Asahi and Guinness drop to £4.40 ($5.90), and a hot dog and a pint combo is around £10.50 ($14.10), according to the club website.

What about Canada and Mexico?

ESPN reporter Luiz Carlos Largo posted an image of concession prices at Monterrey Stadium (usually BBVA Stadium) for the World Cup, where the cost of beer is as high as anywhere else, except Atlanta.

A can of Michelob Ultra lager costs 310 Mexican pesos (MXN), which is roughly $18 or £13.50. Corona is marginally cheaper at 299 MXN ($17.50; £13), though at 710ml (24 oz), fans get more bang for their buck.

Water costs 80 MXN ($4.60; £3.50), while a portion of fries is dearer than almost anywhere else in our sample at 200 MXN ($11.60; £8.66).

And fans travelling to Toronto to take in some World Cup action can expect slightly more wallet-friendly beverage prices than in most of the United States.

While a bottle of water at Toronto Stadium (9 CAD; $6; £4.80) is at the more expensive end of the spectrum, the cheapest beer (16oz; 473ml) costs 16.75 CAD ($12; £9), a more affordable, though far from inexpensive, offering, particularly at a 13 per cent Ontario sales tax rate.

So what’s different about the Atlanta Stadium?

While Emirates Stadium offers cost-friendly concession deals up to an hour before kick-off, the Atlanta Stadium always operates “fan-first” pricing, regardless of which team, sport, or event is playing within its high-tech walls.

A chicken tenders and fries combo meal costing just $6 (£4.50), almost a third of the price at MetLife. Other standout bargains include a pizza slice of any listed variety for $3 (£2.25), a cheeseburger for $5 (£3.70), and a grilled chicken sandwich for just $6 (£4.50). These prices do not include Atlanta’s combined 9 per cent sales tax, so while the items will be slightly dearer than listed, they represent bargain prices by American standards.

Beverage prices are not bad, either. A 20oz (591ml) bottle of water is a far more sensibly priced $3, while the cheapest 20oz draft beer comes in at a respectable $9 (£6.70).

Why does Blank like to keep concession costs low for fans?

In an interview with The Athletic, Blank explained the vision behind his “fan-first” pricing scheme.

“People feel welcome here,” Blank told The Athletic, reflecting on a concession pricing conversation he had with FIFA. “There’s never been price gouging here. We want people to feel like this is their home, safe and secure, embraced, loved and respected. Those things are not negotiable.”

Blank took the same approach when Atlanta hosted the 2019 Super Bowl. Then, beers were priced at $9, cheeseburgers at $5 and hot dogs at $2.

The food and drink prices for the 2019 Super Bowl (Peter Carline/The Athletic)

“It’s the same for the World Cup as it is for the Super Bowl,” Blank said. “It never got past the first discussion with FIFA because we said it is a given, this is who we are. We have to make fans feel treasured and appreciated.”



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