ATLANTA — Despite being unable to host the Men's Final Four in 2020 due to the cancellation of the men's NCAA Tournament due to COVID-19, the NCAA shunned Atlanta's bid to host the popular event through at least 2030.
The NCAA announced Tuesday that Detroit, Las Vegas, Indianapolis and Arlington were awarded as host cities for the big event from 2027 through 2030, with those cities hosting in that order.
This comes as a bit of a surprise to Atlantans, who were excited to have the opportunity to host the men's basketball championships for the first time since 2013, especially with a brand-new state-of-the-art facility in Mercedes-Benz Stadium opening up in 2017.
Atlanta was considered a host city during the bid cycle and the Division I Men's Basketball Committee remained supportive of returning the Final Four back to Atlanta, according to an NCAA spokesperson.
"Atlanta's bid submission would need to remain competitive, which the committee communicated immediately to Atlanta in March 2020, and consistently emphasized throughout the site selection process," the spokesperson said.
The city still remains a desirable spot to return to the Men's Final Four in the future, and the committee plans to continue working with Atlanta in order for them to make a "competitive bid re-submission" for the Final Four in 2031, according to a statement from the NCAA.
The decision to turn Atlanta down comes as Indianapolis will host the event three times in eight years. Indianapolis hosted the Men's Final Four in 2021, while also being scheduled to host the event once again in both 2026 and 2029.
