Early-season Falcons home games mean strong September sun, and three-plus hours on the wrong side of Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a bake. Here's exactly where the shade falls, by sideline, corner and row, plus a free interactive map that ray-traces the sun for your specific game and kickoff time.
Pick your game & kickoff, watch the shade move across the bowl through the game.
The field runs roughly E-W. That's the key to everything: as the afternoon sun swings to the southwest and west, it pours onto the north side of the bowl, while the south side slides into shade first, the stands rising behind those seats block the sun.
Roof note: Mercedes-Benz Stadium has a retractable roof, typically closed in extreme heat, when it's closed, every seat is shaded and the rest of this guide is moot. The guidance below applies when it's open.
| Seats | Why they're shaded |
|---|---|
| South sideline, upper rows | First to shade as the sun moves west; the stands behind block the late-day sun |
| South sideline, club/mid level | Shades through the afternoon as the shadow line walks down the bowl |
| S corners | Pick up shade early from the adjacent south stands |
| End zones (upper rows) | Intermediate, shade arrives after the south sideline but before the north side |
The north sideline faces the afternoon sun and bakes the longest, especially the low rows, which are the last seats anywhere to shade. For a 1pm kickoff, assume front-row seats on any side are in the sun for at least the first half.
Early kickoffs start with a high sun, almost everything open is lit, and the south side shades as the game goes on. Late-afternoon kickoffs are where seat choice matters most: the south side can be comfortable from kickoff while the north side stares into the sun. Night games are shade-safe everywhere. Our tool models your exact game date and kickoff time.
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Shade predictions come from a 3D ray-traced model of the seating bowl combined with the exact solar position for your date and kickoff time. Use it to pick a side, level and row range, then confirm the precise seat on a ticket map. Independent tool; not affiliated with the NFL or any team.
The rest of the NFC South, same treatment: