Atlanta United is using its match against the New York Red Bulls at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to spotlight pediatric illness in partnership with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. The awareness effort gives one of the club's late-season home dates a community-health focus.
Atlanta United says the match is part of its annual Unite & Conquer Cancer campaign, which is part of Major League Soccer's league-wide Kick Childhood Cancer initiative held each September during Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month. FOX 5 Atlanta also covered the collaboration.
A Partnership With Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
The matchday partnership is one part of Atlanta United's relationship with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
Arthur M. Blank Hospital opened in September 2024 as a 19-story, 2-million-square-foot facility with 446 beds, according to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The health system says its Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center consolidated services from the Egleston and Scottish Rite campuses at the hospital.
The Cause Behind The Night
The match’s awareness effort draws attention to pediatric cancer and other serious illnesses affecting children.
How the Campaign Has Evolved
Atlanta United said it adapted campaign activities for pediatric cancer patients, survivors and staff to a virtual platform in 2020, according to the club. On Sept. 18, 2021, the club held a separate Unite & Conquer Cancer match against D.C. United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, according to Atlanta United. These are past campaign examples, distinct from the current match against the New York Red Bulls.
That progress hasn't been matched by federal investment. Pediatric cancer research still receives only about 4% of total federal cancer research dollars in the United States, even though it remains the leading cause of death by disease among American children. That funding gap is part of why hospital systems lean so heavily on private philanthropy and corporate partnerships like the one between CHOA and Atlanta United to sustain patient services and research.
A Partnership That Extends Well Beyond Matchday
The CHOA name and mission show up across nearly every layer of Atlanta United's operations, not just on one night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. In September 2025, the club opened a $25 million expansion of the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground in Marietta, growing the complex to 50,000 square feet and pushing total investment in the facility past $90 million, according to Atlanta United.
Atlanta United 2 has chosen CT United FC as its opponent for the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, with the playoff match set for the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground on October 16, according to Atlanta United Communications.
The pediatric illness awareness match against the New York Red Bulls puts attention on serious illnesses affecting children.
