The SEC Championship Game will remain at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium through at least 2031, the league was announced Thursday.

The contract, which was set to expire in 2026, also allows the SEC the option of exercising an additional five-year extension through 2036.

“The SEC Football Championship Game is one of the premier events in college sports, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium is one of the finest sports facilities on the globe, making Atlanta the perfect venue for our annual title game,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a released statement. “We look forward to continuing a very positive relationship with Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the Georgia World Congress Center as the home of our football championship.”

Atlanta has hosted the SEC Championship Game every year since 1994. The Georgia Dome was home to the game through 2016 and Mercedes-Benz Stadium has hosted the event since 2017.

Saturday’s game between Alabama and Georgia will mark the 30th time Atlanta has hosted the SEC title game.

The game was born as a result of 1992 conference expansion, which saw Arkansas and South Carolina become the first members added in SEC history. Under NCAA regulations at the time, a conference with 12 members may play an additional football game to determine its champion, provided the regular season is played in divisions. The participants of the game would be determined during the eight-game regular season conference schedule as the teams with the best overall SEC winning percentage in each division.

Starting next year, the SEC will stand at 14 teams – with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma – and go to division-less football.