Doug McIntyre
Soccer Journalist
Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be the venue for a March friendly match between the United States men’s national team and Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal, according to multiple sources.
The U.S. Soccer Federation is also trying to finalize an exhibition with Belgium during the same international window, sources said, with Atlanta potentially also the site for that exhibition. The Washington, D.C.-area is among others in contention for that friendly match, per the same sources. FIFA’s two-match March window is the last before participating World Cup teams are required to submit their final 26-player rosters for the tournament.
The Athletic was the first to report Belgium and Portugal as the Americans’ potential March opponents.
The Portugal match in Atlanta could coincide with the opening of U.S. Soccer’s new $200 million-plus training facility in nearby Fayetteville, which is scheduled to open its doors this spring. The USMNT will train at the sprawling, 200-acre, state-of-the-art complex in May and early June before leaving for its World Cup base camp in Southern California. The Americans kick off their three-game group stage slate on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles against an opponent to be determined at December’s draw.
Known as “The Benz,” the 71,000-seat arena serves as home to the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United of Major League Soccer. Both teams are owned by billionaire Home Depot founder Arthur Blank, who contributed $50 million toward the USSF training ground that bears his name. Blank’s company also operates the $2 billion retractable roof stadium, which opened in 2017. Mercedes-Benz Stadium will host eight matches at the 2026 World Cup. Only AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas will have more.
While the USMNT in particular often has to contend with opposing fans outnumbering its own in major American cities, Atlanta has a proven history when it comes to supporting the home side. Last year, the U.S. women’s national team drew more than 50,000 fans to The Benz, setting a new record for a USWNT friendly.
The American men have played just once previously at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a 2-1 loss to Panama in the first round of the 2024 Copa América in front of almost 60,000 spectators.
Portugal, FIFA’s No. 6-ranked national team, won the UEFA Nations League title earlier this summer. But they have gone winless in their last four games against the Americans, including a famous 3-2 loss in the opening game for both nations at the 2002 World Cup.
The U.S. and Portugal played to a 1-1 tie at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, with Ronaldo setting up a stoppage time equalizer for his country. The 40-year-old legend and all-time leading scorer in men’s international soccer history last played on U.S. soil just a few weeks later, in a friendly between Real Madrid and Manchester United in Ann Arbor, Michigan in August 2014.
The most recent meeting between the USMNT and eighth-ranked Belgium came in the round of 16 of the 2014 World Cup, with the Red Devils advancing in extra time. The U.S. men are 1-4 all time against the Belgians, their lone victory coming at the inaugural 1930 World Cup.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports who has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ByDougMcIntyre.
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