Atlanta United is getting a new name — and it’s a bigger change than the club has made in its 9-year history.
Starting with the 2027 season, the club will officially be known as Five Stripes FC, dropping “Atlanta” from the front of its name and adopting a new crest, new kit, and a brand-new visual identity. The change was confirmed by the club’s front office on Tuesday.
The move is being framed by the club as an evolution, not a rebrand, but the visible changes are large. The crest — designed by the club’s in-house creative team with input from supporters’ groups — retains the iconic five gold stripes on a black field, but the shape, typography, and details are all new.
What’s changing
- Club name: “Five Stripes FC” replaces “Atlanta United FC” in all official contexts. The legal entity of the club remains Atlanta United FC LLC; only the consumer-facing name is changing.
- Crest: New shape, new typography. The five stripes are still there, but they’re rendered differently.
- Primary kit: A new home kit will debut at the start of the 2027 season. The leaked designs include a return to the club’s original gold-and-black palette, with subtle references to Atlanta’s flag.
- Motto: The club is changing from “Unite the South” to a new tagline that hasn’t been announced yet. (Multiple sources say it’s going to be “Five Cities, One Club” — a reference to the metro’s geographic spread.)
- Secondary marks: New “Five Stripes” wordmark, new “5S” monogram for social, new supporter-scarf design.
What’s not changing
- The playing name on MLS game sheets will still be “ATL” (the league’s standard).
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium remains the home venue.
- The supporter groups (Terminus Legion, Resurgence, Footie Mob, and others) retain their names and identities. The club says it actively worked with them to design the new crest.
Why the change
The club is being deliberately coy about its official reasoning, but the practical case is straightforward:
- Atlanta United is one of two MLS teams in Atlanta (along with Atlanta United’s developmental team, and the recently announced Atlanta United 2). Distinguishing the senior club from its affiliates has become a marketing challenge.
- The “United” naming convention has become a crowded space in MLS (DC United, Minnesota United, Newcastle United is now also a thing, etc.). Five Stripes is the name Atlanta’s supporters have used as a nickname since 2017. Codifying it makes the brand distinct.
- The crest was always going to need a refresh. The previous version, designed in 2017, was the first crest in club history. Updating it at the 10-year mark makes sense from a brand-equity perspective.
“This is a club that’s grown up. The brand we built in 2017 was the brand of a startup. The brand we’re building now is the brand of a club that knows who it is.”
— Atlanta United president
What fans think
The supporter groups have been largely supportive, with some caveats. The Terminus Legion released a statement saying the new name “respects the supporter identity” and “the stripes are still the stripes.” Footie Mob was more cautious, asking the club to commit to keeping supporter-section ticket prices flat through the transition.
The biggest fan pushback is on the kit — the leaked designs show a more minimalist aesthetic, and some longtime fans miss the loud 2017-era gold-and-black.
When you’ll see it
The new identity will be unveiled in full at a launch event in early November 2026, with a public installation at Woodruff Park in downtown Atlanta. The new kits will be available for purchase the same day.
The new name and brand will be on the field for the first time in the 2027 MLS season opener, scheduled for February 21, 2027 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Jordan Reyes covers the Falcons, Hawks, Braves, Atlanta United, and Georgia high school sports for WACN 21. Reach him at jreyes@wacn21.com.