On Sunday, much of the United States will be watching Super Bowl LIII (53) American football’s championship contest. The New England Patriots take on the Los Angeles Rams in Atlanta.

CGTN’s Dan Williams reports, the city is already bursting with excitement.

Getting ready for the big kick-off this weekend, the focus for most U.S. sports fans is on Atlanta.

Nearly a third of Americans are expected to tune in to watch Super Bowl LIII (53) as the New England Patriots take on the Los Angeles Rams.

Some one million people are expected to swell the city’s population over the next few days.

And Georgia’s capital is ready to put on a show but the big question for Atlanta, is whether hosting the game adds up.

The venue, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, is the new home for the Atlanta Falcons but it’s expected to cost taxpayers some $700 million. Plus another $28 million  on top of that for other hosting costs.

There are also questions as to whether some of the city’s poorer communities will benefit but former Atlanta Falcons player Warrick Dunn maintains its worth it.

“So we are a very diverse and inclusive community that wants to express and share everything that Atlanta has to offer and hopefully people come back time and time and time again. You always want to develop a footprint and make an impact,” said Dunn, a former Atlanta Falcons player.

The city is already a hive of activity.

From the interactive NFL Experience, to a party in downtown’s Centennial Olympic Park.

All of the activities are made possible thanks to an army of volunteers.

“The energy in Atlanta right now is really incredible so when we as a host committee thought about how we can extend that hosting experience, how we can get more people involved, the volunteer program has been that opportunity so you can feel it. But these individuals, 10,000 of them are representing our city to the world which is incredible,” said Lee Hendrickson of the Atlanta Super Bowl host committee.

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