DevelopFulton is the presenting sponsor of Global Atlanta's World Cup Channel.
Since Atlanta officially became part of the U.S., Canada and Mexico’s winning World Cup bid for 2026, how much of the tournament would land in the city has been a matter of much speculation.
No longer: As of Monday, the results are in, and the burgeoning soccer hub can expect to host eight matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, including a semifinal, according to FIFA.
Accounting for expected visitor spending, the football federation says Atlanta can expect to see an economic impact of $415 million, according to a 2017-18 study by Boston Consulting Group.
Beyond the dollars and cents, Atlanta boosters see another “generational” opportunity to brand an increasingly global city internationally.
Three decades years after the city’s coming-out party via the Olympic Games — and partly because of that mega-event —the metro area much better represents demographically the world it’s preparing to welcome.
“In that time, our city has continued to become a reflection of this beautiful game – we are diverse, inclusive and growing every day. Much like 1996, we will work with all our partners to ensure the FIFA World Cup 2026 has a positive, equitable impact on our communities for generations,” Mayor Andre Dickens said in a news release.
Katie Kirkpatrick, president and CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, told Global Atlanta that the city’s blend of experience and vision makes it a fitting host.
“It’s been 30 years since Atlanta hosted the Olympic Games, and we learned a lot from that experience. The scale of hosting the FIFA World Cup is tremendous — we know that 5 billion people watched the tournament in Qatar in 2022. This is a generational opportunity to set the trajectory for metro Atlanta the next 30 years,” said Ms. Kirkpatrick.
She added that it’s not just downtown that stands to see significant benefit.
“While the eight matches will take place downtown, their impact will resonate across a much wider footprint, and we expect this series to further solidify Atlanta and the state’s position as the capital of soccer for North America,” said Ms. Kirkpatrick, whose chamber serves 29 counties.
That argument has already been bolstered in recent months with the decision of U.S. Soccer to relocate its headquarters and national training center to the metro area, spurred in part by a $50 million commitment from the Arthur M. Blank Foundation. In December, a 200-acre site in Fayette County near studio-anchored development Trilith was selected for training center. Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co. is the center’s founding partner, a part of its long-term U.S. Soccer sponsorship commitment.
Mr. Blank owns both the National Football League’s Atlanta Falcons and the Major League Soccer club Atlanta United, which gave voice to a latent soccer obsession rising in a rapidly diversifying city upon its launch in 2017.
“This is a momentous occasion and a true celebration of the beautiful game of soccer in our city,” said Mr. Blank, chairman of the Blank Family of Businesses, said in a news release. “The FIFA World Cup 2026 brings people together in a way that transcends borders and makes this tournament an unforgettable journey for fans globally.”
Opportunities abound in the run-up to the tournament for the city to build its global ties, and foreign governments with outposts in Atlanta are gearing up to take advantage of the increased spotlight to further their engagement goals.
British Consul General Rachel Galloway, a self-professed soccer enthusiast, said Atlanta’s hosting capabilities were on full display when the English Premier League put on its first matches in the city last summer.
“We saw the amazing welcome that Atlanta gave to the Premier League last summer, and we’re looking forward to being part of the preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2026,” Ms. Galloway told Global Atlanta. “This is a huge opportunity for Atlanta and the region as it will spotlight the incredible growth of soccer as a sport and the top level facilities that players and fans can enjoy, as well as the ways sport can impact the community.”
Many Brits have been involved in the management of Soccer in the Streets, the Atlanta-based nonprofit known for its use of the sport as a tool to teach kids life skills. Its network of soccer fields within MARTA transit stations has won acclaim all over the world, and the organization has already started planning to link its “League of Stations” to national teams setting up their operations in corresponding communities around the metro area.
On the business front, sports technology delegations have been flocking to Atlanta, citing its mix of diversity, talent and sports prowess.
According to FIFA, the dates of the Atlanta group stage matches will be June 15, 18, 21, 24 and 27. The round of 32 match will be July 1, the round of 16 on July 7 and the semifinal will take place July 15.
In December 2025, a tournament draw will determine which matchups — and national teams — will make their way to the city. FIFA anticipates the tournament to be the most-watched sporting event in history.
More on the Atlanta impact and opportunities to get involved can be found at www.AtlantaFWC26.com.