Soccer (or football in other countries) is the most popular sport in the world. While it is difficult to find exact numbers for the amount of fans, the sport known officially as association football (as opposed to gridiron football, its American counterpart) is ubiquitous across continents; it is hard to imagine a sport more globally popular. Starting in 2017, it is coming to Atlanta. Atlanta United Football Club, owned by Home Depot co-founder and Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, is set to play a home game against Orlando City Soccer Club in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium when it opens on July 30. Until it opens, Atlanta United will play at Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta; however, the team will not play any home games at that stadium for most of April, in order not to conflict with Yellow Jackets spring practices.

The logo design chosen for the team depicts a circle (representing Atlanta’s Olympic heritage as well as visually looking like the city’s seal) with a gold “A” in the middle. Behind the letter are five red and black stripes symbolizing unity, determination, community, excellence and innovation. Black, red and gold were chosen as the logo’s primary colors to symbolize strength, pride and excellence, respectively.

Before the announcement of the creation of Atlanta United in April 2014, the city of Atlanta was the largest metropolitan area without a Major League Soccer (MLS) team. Blank originally submitted a bid for an MLS team back in 2008, but rescinded it the next year after he failed to find any partners to build a stadium. However, talks between Blank and MLS continued and the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium provided an opportunity to try again, this time successfully.

Prospects for an MLS franchise in Atlanta were boosted in March 2011 after the founding of the supporter group Terminus Legion (named after Atlanta’s name when it was first founded). With over 500 members, it is the largest soccer fan group in Atlanta. By December 2015, Atlanta fans pledged to purchase over 29,000 season tickets, almost enough to fill the limited number of seats planned for Atlanta United games at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.