It will be 11 years later than planned, but Atlanta will have its day at the center of the college basketball universe.
Atlanta was selected to host the 2031 NCAA men’s Final Four, it was announced Thursday. The city was to host the marquee event in 2020 only to have it canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic. The final games of the March Madness tournament will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
This will be the sixth time Atlanta has awarded the Final Four and the fifth time it will host.
Members of the Atlanta Sports Council met in July with the NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee in Park City, Utah, to complete the final phase of the bid process. The focus was on “finishing what we started” following the cancellation.
“We are thrilled with the NCAA’s decision to award Atlanta the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four for a sixth time,” Dan Corso, president of the Atlanta Sports Council, said in a statement. “We were eager to host a future Final Four after the heartbreak of 2020, and we are grateful to the NCAA for allowing us another opportunity to showcase this great city to basketball fans in 2031.”
Atlanta previously hosted the men’s Final Four in 1977, 2002, 2007 and 2013. It also hosted the women’s Final Four in 1993 and 2003.
“From our reliable infrastructure network to our world-famous hospitality, Georgia has consistently set itself apart as a world-class host and sports destination for large scale events like the NCAA men’s Final Four,” Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming players and fans taking part in this prestigious event to Atlanta for a fifth time as they join a long and storied history of sports in the Peach State.”
The award of the Final Four continues a streak of Atlanta hosting major sporting events in the coming years. It will host:
“Time and again, Atlanta has proved itself as the best city in America to host global sporting events, and we thank the NCAA for selecting us to host this incredible event,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement. “The eyes of the sporting world will be on Atlanta, and we know that we will be up to the task once again as a champion is crowned and ‘One Shining Moment’ is played in 2031.”
Georgia Tech will serve as the host school for the event.
“We’re thrilled that the NCAA Division I men’s Final Four will return to Atlanta in 2031,” Georgia Tech athletic director J Batt said in a statement. “Hosting the Final Four puts our institute, our athletic department and our great city and state on the worldwide stage, and we couldn’t be more excited to host basketball’s best in 2031.”
After the Final Four was cancelled, the NCAA awarded the event to Detroit (2027), Las Vegas (2028), Indianapolis (2029) and Arlington, Texas, (2030) in 2022. The Final Four previously was awarded to Houston (2023), Phoenix (2024), San Antonio (2025) and Indianapolis (2026).
The four previous men’s Final Fours in Atlanta were held in 1977 at The Omni and 2002, 2007 and 2013 at the Georgia Dome.
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