[16] The stadium officially opened on August 26, 2017, with a Falcons preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, despite the retractable roof system being incomplete at the time.

Other professional events included the MLS Cup (as Atlanta United FC held home field advantage) in 2018, and Super Bowl LIII in 2019.

The middle concourse and upper bowl were eliminated in the east end zone to allow for an unobstructed view of the Atlanta skyline.

It opened with two oversized locker rooms, each capable of housing 100 players, reflecting the much larger size of college football rosters compared to those of the NFL.

[24] It also has a soccer-specific configuration, with retractable lower bowl seats to widen the field, and mechanized curtains that limit the capacity to about 42,500.

[25] The stadium incorporates contemporary art into its interior and exterior design, with over 180 commissioned works, including pieces by Nari Ward, Hank Willis Thomas, and Steven and William Ladd.

[30] To reflect local culture, the stadium also partnered with Atlanta-based restaurants, chains, and chefs to have presences as concessions under the "Best of Atlanta" banner, including Chick-fil-A, The Varsity, Kevin Gillespie, and others.

Kansas City-based architectural firm Populous released comprehensive plans for the proposed stadium in February 2011.

[43] According to the master plan, the stadium would have a regular capacity of 71,000, but can expand to 75,000 for special events such as the Super Bowl.

On December 10, the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, in a unanimous decision, approved the blueprint and most of the agreement terms for the new stadium plans.

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution article, the term sheet is non-binding and changes could be made at any time as regards stadium construction.

The maximum public contribution for the project was US$200 million, coming from the hotel-motel tax in Atlanta and unincorporated Fulton County.

[54] The Falcons unveiled a conceptual design for the new stadium on June 18, 2013, with a proposed capacity of 70,000 spectators, 7,500 club seats, and 180 luxury suites.

[59][60]The stadium's projected opening date was delayed three times due to the complexity of the eight-panel retractable roof.

Steve Cannon, CEO of the Atlanta Falcons' parent company AMB Group, stated that the Falcons' preseason schedule and the Chick-fil-a Kickoff Games would not be affected by the new opening date; however, three Atlanta United FC matches would be affected.

[64] On October 6, 2017, stadium officials announced that the roof would be opened, weather permitting, for Atlanta United FC's regular season finale against Toronto FC on October 22; stadium officials also stated that the roof would remain closed for the remainder of the Falcons' regular season as well as for any home matches hosted by Atlanta United FC during the 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs as contractors continued to work on fully mechanizing the roof.

Overcrowding and congestion was a frequent concern and complaint from fans attending major events during the stadium's first year of operation.

The bridge connects gameday parking lots and the Vine City MARTA Station to the northwest side of the stadium and The Home Depot Backyard, allowing pedestrians to avoid crossing the busy, 6 lane Northside Drive.

[71] For the 2024 Copa América, natural grass sod was placed on top of the stadium's usual artificial turf.

During the College Football National Championship Game in January 2018, several media outlets reported a significant leak that appeared to be occurring just over the field of play near the 25-yard line.

[74] Falcons president Rich McKay told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he expected all issues with the roof to be completely resolved before the 2018 season.

After the 10-day construction period, an unspecified time frame would be required for final commissioning work, after of which, operation of the roof would be turned over to stadium officials.

[20] On July 25, 2018, in a demonstration to members of the media, the roof was opened and closed for the first time as intended, with both procedures taking approximately eight minutes each.

[77] In December 2014, the Georgia World Congress Center's board of governors approved a resolution to raise the cost of the stadium to US$1.2 billion.

Then-Mercedes-Benz USA CEO Steve Cannon, who would subsequently join the Falcons' organization in 2016 as CEO of AMB Group,[84] stated that the sponsorship would last 27 years, calling it the largest marketing deal in Mercedes-Benz' history, but Cannon would not disclose the full value of the deal; however, Sports Business Daily reported in February 2016 that the naming rights contract was valued at US$324 million.

[87] While the stadium is owned by the state, it is operated by AMB Group, the parent organization of the Falcons and Atlanta United FC.

[88] The stadium would have served a neutral site for the 2022 AFC Championship on January 29, 2023, if the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs both advanced past the divisional round in the NFL playoffs, with the Chiefs serving as the home team as the AFC's top seed.

On March 12, 2020, the tournament was completely cancelled outright due to the COVID-19 pandemic, though it would have likely shifted to a smaller Atlanta venue (either the State Farm Arena or the McCamish Pavilion, home of the Final Four's host school, Georgia Tech) in any case, as the tournament was closed to spectators the day before.

[96][97] On February 26, 2019, it was announced that the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets had agreed to play one home game annually at Mercedes-Benz Stadium from 2021 through 2026.

[125] A train horn blares after every Falcons and United score and win – a nod to Atlanta's railroad history.