Illustration by Chris Labrooy
It isn’t just Atlanta that’s welcoming FIFA World Cup 2026™; it’s the entire state of Georgia. Soccer pitches are under construction from Augusta to Moultrie. And watch parties are being planned from the mountains to the coast. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime situation,” says Pat Wilson, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “The 1996 Olympics was the springboard for Georgia—and specifically Atlanta—becoming known internationally. Now we get a chance to showcase the state to the world because Georgia as a whole has come into its own.”
Courtesy of Atlanta United
Kicking Things Off
With FIFA World Cup 2026™ approaching, Georgia’s Major League Soccer team, Atlanta United, is contributing statewide. The Atlanta United Community Fund, part of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, has created the GA 100 project—building 100 soccer pitches everywhere from Dalton to Augusta, focusing on neighborhoods where children might not otherwise have access to the sport.
“There aren’t a ton of spaces for kids who are just getting into the game in underserved areas,” says Marissa Ahrens, senior director of community impact for Atlanta United. “Space is just such a commodity, specifically the soccer space.”
During FIFA World Cup 2026™, some of the new pitches will likely become watch-party venues and fan destinations, helping communities statewide join in on the action. But the impact of the pitches will last long after the games end. “At some point, we’re going to have the story that one of these kids has made it into our academy and into the first team,” Ahrens says. “And we cannot wait for that story to unfold.”
Courtesy of Atlanta United
Creating Home Base
A special Georgia site will play host to a FIFA World Cup 2026™ team: Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground (Atlanta United’s home base). “It’s a very big deal,” says Dimitrios Efstathiou, Atlanta United’s senior vice president of strategy. “We’re really honored to be selected as one of the base-camp sites.”
FIFA World Cup 2026™ teams rank their base-camp choices with FIFA (a base camp consists of a training facility and nearby hotel), often scouting sites well before team announcements, as Japan and Korea did in September 2025. Efstathiou says teams evaluate not just pitches, but also amenities like locker rooms, treatment areas, and press spaces.
He likens the next step to medical school matching, where FIFA assigns a team a monthlong “home.” At press time, Uzbekistan had already selected Atlanta United’s newly expanded facility in Marietta, which offers six full-length pitches, two warmup areas, and state-of-the-art production studios for media sessions. “We want our facility to be the first place that a team coming into Atlanta thinks about,” Efstathiou says.
Courtesy of Atlanta United
Poised and Ready
FIFA World Cup 2026™ will be the most significant international event Atlanta has hosted in decades, and small businesses are eager to connect with visitors from across the globe. That’s why Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Atlanta United Owner Arthur Blank, and UPS Chair Carol Tomé have spearheaded an initiative called Showcase Atlanta. The program, which they hope will be replicated across the state, has recruited 23 regional leaders to serve as ambassadors who utilize their expertise and connections to help area companies take advantage of the event. (Ambassadors include Katie Kirkpatrick, president and CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, and Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian.)
“We saw this supernova coming to our town,” says Lamar Stewart, Showcase Atlanta’s director of initiatives and external relations. “We want to make sure our local businesses are prepared for it and everybody feels comfortable.”
Ambassadors help connect small businesses with grants to upgrade their building facades, plus answer questions about crossing language barriers, increasing staffing, and working with FIFA.
Another goal of the initiative is to highlight Atlanta’s art and culinary scenes. “We’re going to make sure World Cup visitors see, feel, and experience Atlanta’s culture,” Stewart says. “People will come for the games and see their favorite teams, and they’ll also be able to experience the town and our culture.”
The beauty of the plan, he says, is that it can easily be put into practice across Georgia: “The fact that we’re able to create something and say, ‘Hey, we were successful at it,’ and then we talk to others and say, ‘Hey, you can replicate this over and over again in your own areas’—I think there’s a great opportunity in that.”
Courtesy of FIFA
Coming Together
Across the state and pending FIFA approval, watch parties will offer an unforgettable way for locals and visitors to get in on the FIFA World Cup 2026™ action. The city of Decatur, for example, is planning a month-long celebration, with local venues broadcasting all 104 matches. It will also host pre- and post-match concerts (including hip-hop star Big Boi and local group the Indigo Girls) to pump up the whole community.
Dozens of other communities are planning their parties, including Macon, Statesboro, and Savannah. “The world’s game is on our shore,” says Darin Van Tassell, co-owner and president of South Georgia’s Tormenta FC, a professional club in Statesboro. “It’s going to be fun for all of our fellow citizens to really get vibing on all of that.”
