Mar 19, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; A general overall view of the March Madness logo at center court of Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The arena is the home of the Indiana Pacers and the site of the NCAA Final Four first and second rounds. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Final Four of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament will return to Atlanta for the first time since 2007.

The NCAA announced Thursday that the 2031 edition of the event will be held in Atlanta. Atlanta was set to host the 2020 Men’s Final Four before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the tournament.

“The committee has been empathetic in its consideration of replacing the 2020 Men’s Final Four for Atlanta, and ultimately the city competed favorably and won the opportunity to host again at long last in 2031. We are looking forward to working with the Atlanta team to provide another memorable Men’s Final Four experience,”  Dan Gavitt, the NCAA’s vice president of basketball, said in a release.

This will be Atlanta’s fourth time hosting the Final Four. The Omni Coliseum hosted the 1977 Final Four, while the Georgia Dome hosted in 2002 and 2007. Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which opened in 2017 and replaced the Georgia Dome, is slated to host in 2031.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium has also hosted the College Football Playoff National Championship, first in 2018. It is scheduled to hold the event again in 2025. Additionally, it’s the annual home of the Peach Bowl, which was a rotating semifinal during the four-team Playoff era. It will be a yearly Playoff bowl from now on in the 12-team era.

We now know the Final Four sites through 2031 with this news. 2025 will take place at San Antonio’s Alamodome, 2026 and 2029 will be at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium, Detroit’s Ford Field will host 2027, Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas will host in 2028, and 2030 will take place at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.

[NCAA]

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