Illustration by Zac Crawford
1. Brad Guzan (Goalkeeper)
Former Atlanta United keeper Guzan is a World Cup veteran, having made two World Cup squads with the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team. Now retired, he is an Atlanta United ambassador and has represented the host committee in promoting Atlanta as the “Soccer Capital of the USA.” As Atlanta’s “Big, Bald Wall,” Guzan still stands tall.
2. Achraf Hakimi (Right Back)
Hakimi is the captain of Morocco, which in the 2022 tournament became the first African and Arab nation to reach a World Cup semifinal. Morocco plays a group stage game against Haiti in Atlanta June 24. A right back known for his speed and dribbling, Hakimi leads a team with aspirations for another deep run.
3. Katie Kirkpatrick (Center Back)
As president and CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Kirkpatrick drives the ball forward to secure wins for the business community. Her goal is to ensure the tournament’s economic windfall is not only for the big guys but also for service workers and small, minority-owned businesses downtown.
4. William Pate (Center Back)
Like a ball-playing center back, Pate wants to spread the World Cup love to the rest of the city. As the president and CEO of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, he is charged with enticing the estimated 500,000 soccer fans who are traveling here to go beyond downtown by taking MARTA to shop in Buckhead and explore the arts scene in Midtown.
5. Governor Brian Kemp (Left Back)
Governor Kemp plays a more supporting role, but he shows up for the big moments to tout unity—such as it is—between city and state. In March, Kemp and Mayor Andre Dickens rang the New York Stock Exchange bell together to celebrate the 100-day marker to World Cup kickoff. The tournament could tie a bow on his last term as governor.
6. Rhonda Allen (Center Defensive Midfielder)
Allen is the anchor of this team’s midfield: She’s the one who runs MARTA’s trains. As the deputy general manager, she’s handled operations for the city’s latest megaevents, including the Super Bowl in 2019. She takes the controls again this summer to distribute an even bigger crowd through the city.
7. Dietmar Exler (Left Winger)
A native Austrian, the dynamic chief operating officer of Mercedes-Benz Stadium serves as Atlanta’s resident European soccer aficionado. Exler has already worked with FIFA for the Copa America in 2024 and Club World Cup in 2025, which means he knows how to make Atlanta’s premier stadium soccer—and its real grass—ready.
8. Dan Corso (Center Midfielder)
Corso is the glue that holds this team together. As the CEO of the Atlanta Sports Council and president of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Atlanta Host Committee, he was key in getting the World Cup for the city. He has coordinated behind-the-scenes prep, from securing corporate cash to ensuring that the FIFA Fan Festival at Centennial Olympic Park remains free to the public.
9. Mayor Andre Dickens (Striker)
A quality striker turns scoring opportunities into goals, and Mayor Dickens has the same task. He’s seizing the World Cup to boost downtown investment but needs to contend with uncertainties like security, transit, and traffic. His approach is driven by the maxim he’s oft repeated to the media: “We don’t want the World Cup to happen to Atlanta, but with Atlanta.” Can he turn goals into reality this summer, or will he blow his chance?
10. Killer Mike (Center Attacking Midfielder)
Killer Mike, Atlanta’s Celebrity Ambassador for the World Cup, is the city’s charismatic playmaker. He narrates a welcome video on which he brags about Atlanta’s rich history of music and civil rights progressivism. This culture, Mike says, contributes to the Southern hospitality that makes Atlanta “glitter, glisten, gloss, floss.”
11. Lamine Yamal (Right Winger)
At 18 years old, Yamal of Spain is arguably the best player in the world, known for his dizzying dribbling. Catch the teenage star when Spain plays two group stage matches in Atlanta June 15 and June 21.
This article appears in our June 2026 issue.
