Photograph by Madeline Shapiro
With a view of Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s cascading walls out the window, the Atlanta World Cup Host Committee (AWCHC) spoke with Atlanta civic leaders at a news briefing on June 11 to discuss the city’s plans and preparations for the 2026 World Cup, which kicks off in one year. Atlanta will host eight games including a semi-final, expecting to draw about 300,000 fans and create what AWCHC Chief Operating Officer Georgia O’Donoghue likened to “eight Super Bowls in 39 days.”
Atlanta, of course, is no stranger to hosting major sporting events, as the site of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games and a three-time Super Bowl host. In recent years, sports organizers have chosen Mercedes-Benz Stadium as the site for 2024 Copa América games, the 2025 College Football Playoff Championship, and the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup. William Pate, president and CEO of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, says that the city’s experience with large sporting events will be the key to ensuring everything runs smoothly next summer.
“The biggest advantage we have is our people,” Pate says. “Many of the folks who are going to work a World Cup have been working on big events in this city since the 2007 Men’s Final Four. So they know what to do, they’ve seen it all, they have all the contacts, and that is why people like to come here, why they like to host championships here, because they know we’re gonna execute flawlessly.”
Despite the city’s championship-hosting pedigree, for Charles Hampton, the Atlanta Police Department’s deputy chief of the special events division, the safety logistics regarding the World Cup keep him up at night.
“We are excited that everyone’s been talking about, ‘Atlanta has done this before,’” Hampton says. “In the security world, that leads to complacency. We are excited about the opportunity to host the world, but we know we have a huge responsibility to make sure visitors and residents remain safe.”
Just last year in Miami, security struggled to route large crowds in intense heat before the Copa América final, providing a warning for future soccer tournaments in the U.S. For his World Cup preparations, Hampton even traveled to England and Germany to get a sense of international fans’ soccer passion, observing fan marches and fervor at games.
Both MARTA and Mercedes-Benz Stadium will undergo changes before the tournament kicks off next year. To reduce confusion, the Georgia World Congress Center/CNN Center station is receiving a new, straight-to-the-point name: the Sports, Entertainment, and Convention District Station. For the World Cup, Rhonda Allen, MARTA’s chief customer experiences officer, says that international transportation icons will be added in rail stations to help with language barriers and new fare gates with updated payment systems will be installed to reduce congestion when purchasing tickets. Mercedes-Benz Stadium is also receiving a small makeover, per FIFA guidelines. The Mercedes-Benz logos on the stadium’s walls and roof will be covered up (only FIFA sponsors are allowed to advertise during the World Cup, which means corporate-branded stadiums like Mercedes-Benz Stadium have to hide their branding), and a hybrid grass field will be installed in place of the current turf.
With luxury and package ticket deals expected to cost thousands of dollars, not all fans wishing to see a World Cup game in Atlanta will be able to do so. Event organizers are looking at other ways to bring games to the people of the city and visiting fans. Centennial Olympic Park will host a nearby FIFA fan festival, and the Georgia World Conference Center will oversee interactive games, live entertainment, and food for 20 days of games.
“We are excited to bring Atlanta’s Southern charm and resilience to a dynamic fan experience,” says TJ Rogers, Georgia World Congress Center Authority national sales manager. “Unforgettable is our goal.”
For Metro Atlanta Chamber President and CEO Katie Kirkpatrick, hosting World Cup matches is “an opportunity to tell the business story about metro Atlanta.” There are two to three days between each game, giving traveling fans time to explore the city’s tourist attractions and local businesses. And after years of planning, city leaders hope that the tournament, like the 1996 Olympics, will be legacy-defining for Atlanta.
“2026 will be 30 years the day that we hosted the Olympics,” Kirkpatrick says. “We’ve seen growth for 30 years. We’re only gonna go upward in the next 30.”
