“This is a must-win game, we need you more than ever (fans). The club has also decided to expand the maximum capacity of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium to more than 75,000 seats. We hope that the red, black and yellow (Atlanta United’s home jersey) will fill the stadium, to support the players in the second decisive match of the first round of the MLS Cup play-offs,” Atlanta United announced before welcoming Messi and Inter Miami at 6am on November 3.

In the first match of the first round of the MLS Cup play-off – the American professional soccer tournament, Messi and Inter Miami won against Atlanta United with a score of 2-1 at home stadium Chase on October 26.

The two teams will play the second match of the “3-match” series in this round at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta City. If Inter Miami continues to win, they will soon advance. Meanwhile, Atlanta United must win to tie the results after 2 matches, and enter the third match at 8:00 on November 10 at Chase Stadium to keep their hopes of advancing alive.

Given the importance of the match, Atlanta United FC decided for the first time this season to expand the Mercedes-Benz Stadium to its maximum capacity to attract a huge number of fans to the stadium to support their team.

Atlanta United has expanded Mercedes-Benz Stadium twice in its history, including in 2018 when 73,019 spectators came to watch the MLS Cup final (2-0 win over Portland Timbers) to win the championship, and the match against Orlando City SC in 2017 attracted 70,425 viewers.

The third-largest attendance at Mercedes-Benz Stadium was recently when Atlanta United hosted Inter Miami (2-2 draw) on September 19 with 67,795 spectators in Round 29 of the MLS qualifying round. At that time, Mercedes-Benz Stadium was not expanded to its maximum capacity.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium is one of the most modern stadiums in the United States, used at Copa America 2024 (opening match) as well as the 2026 World Cup. This multi-purpose stadium hosts football, basketball, soccer and many other major entertainment events. The stadium can be expanded or reduced in capacity depending on the event and requirements. Previously, the maximum capacity of Mercedes-Benz Stadium was up to nearly 80,000 seats, but now it is only regularly used at 75,000 seats.

Therefore, in the upcoming football match, when Atlanta United Club expands the capacity of Mercedes-Benz Stadium to the maximum, it can attract a record number of fans in the history of the team. Previously, the American press reported that this team had sold more than 65,000 tickets in advance, but still could not meet the fans’ demands and decided to expand the stadium’s maximum capacity.

Besides the importance of the match, the appearance of Messi and his famous teammates at Inter Miami is also a big attraction for viewers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The first match, when Inter Miami beat Atlanta United 2-1, was reported by Apple TV as the most watched sporting event ever on any of its platforms. However, Apple TV did not disclose specific viewership numbers, as it has previously disclosed for similar events.