Goal in sight for Atlanta as World Cup presents ‘generational opportunity’
Sports fans around the globe are waiting with bated breath for FIFA to draw the 2026 World Cup match lineup in three weeks.
Few people are more eagerly awaiting the results than the Atlanta leaders tasked with preparing the city to host eight matches, including a high-profile semifinal. The Dec. 5 draw will cement which countries will flock to the city next summer, presenting a rare opportunity to highlight Atlanta’s appeal to those nations’ leaders and businesses.
“We’re already doing research and preparing, so that when the draw happens, we are ready to go,” Katie Kirkpatrick, president and CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, said. “And we have a plan to execute over six months to welcome them to Atlanta.”
World Cup preparation was the central focus of the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s annual meeting Thursday morning at the College Football Hall of Fame in downtown Atlanta. With the enthusiastic spirit of a pep rally, hundreds of Atlanta stakeholders gathered to hear the chamber’s strategy to get the region ready for the soccer-fueled festivities to come in June and July.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens told the chamber’s attendees, who represent the business interests of the capital’s 29-county region, the World Cup is more than just a one-off sporting event. With proper planning, its effects should be felt for years, if not decades.
“As we prepare to take our place on the world stage again, we are looking beyond 2026,” Dickens said. “Every time we come together to support our sports teams, we are invested in the future of this city and this region.”
Regardless of which teams are selected, a projected 500,000 visitors are anticipated to pour into Atlanta to attend matches and bask in the energy of world-class sport. Chamber brass said offering an experience worthy of that stage is paramount, requiring the attention and focus of leaders across the city, region and state.
Unlike a Super Bowl or single-day event, the World Cup’s five-week length is a marathon for the city’s infrastructure, public transit and hospitality apparatus, said Rich McKay, CEO of AMB Sports and Entertainment and the Atlanta Falcons and MAC’s 2026 board chair. The last comparable event in scope was the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, which is often credited with reshaping Atlanta, especially downtown.
“The duration will be a challenge, but it’s one I think we’re up for,” he said. “... It provides us a generational opportunity to tell our story about Atlanta and make an impact.”
‘Travels well’
Even though the matches aren’t set and are months away, World Cup travels are already top of mind for international leaders and soccer clubs.
Kirkpatrick said last month in a meeting with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution‘s editorial board that some of Georgia’s largest companies are already getting inquiries to meet amid the summer fanfare. For example, she said dozens of world leaders and dignitaries have reached out to one of the city’s most recognizable companies, Coca-Cola, to make early connection plans.
“This is the type of exposure that we’re hoping would happen,” she said. “You have this exposure of people who are decision-makers coming into town and saying, ‘We need to be there.’”
McKay said similar attention is being placed on the Atlanta area’s sports facilities, ranging from Mercedes-Benz Stadium to training fields across the state. The best soccer players in the world expect accommodations to meet that stature, he said.
“(Mercedes-Benz Stadium) has one or two countries a week that come in and tour the whole thing to see the setup and understand how they’re going to operate,” McKay said. “Because they’ll be here for a good long time (if drawn).”
The specific teams drawn for Atlanta will also shape how city leaders try to forge new economic development ties. Kirkpatrick said the chamber is already researching more than 20 countries that could be drawn in order to plan how to best appeal to their leaders and companies in hopes of future investment or collaboration.
With international soccer, she said Atlanta should expect high turnout regardless of what teams are selected.
“If you have been to a World Cup match, it doesn’t matter the size of the country,” Kirkpatrick said. “Their fan base travels and travels well.”
Statewide scope
A lot of the chamber’s focus centers on giving Atlanta its best face before the first whistle, but the World Cup’s reach is expected to stretch beyond downtown.
“We need to ensure the impact of sports reaches everyone,” said Ryan Marshall, president and CEO of PulteGroup and MAC’s 2025 board chair. “From the Westside to the Southside. From Cherokee to Clayton to Forsyth and everywhere in between.”
Some of that comes in the form of sports infrastructure. The Atlanta United Community Fund, an organization connected to the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, has an initiative to install 100 mini-pitches across the state. McKay said nearly 50 have been delivered so far.
The Atlanta World Cup Host Committee also has a partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Georgia to develop youth activities across the state.
City and chamber leadership acknowledge there’s a lot of work still to be done. Foreign visitors will bring with them expectations of world-class transit systems, gathering places and security. That places pressure on MARTA, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the city’s roster of hotels and all communities within Atlanta’s orbit.
But Kirkpatrick noted Atlanta has done this before and knows what success looks like.
“Thirty years ago, the Olympic torch lit up our city and introduced Atlanta to the world,” Kirkpatrick said. “Now, from the torch to the cup, we have another chance to reintroduce ourselves on the global stage.”
About the Author
Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives.
