Falcons players offer predictions for World Cup ahead of Atlanta hosting
It’s close to World Cup time in Atlanta.
The Falcons’ roost, Mercedes-Benz Stadium — which will be named Atlanta Stadium during the tournament — will host eight matches. Falcons starters Bijan Robinson and Matthew Bergeron offered up predictions for the tournament after OTA’s on Monday, ahead of the opening match in Atlanta next Monday.
Robinson, who swapped jerseys with France star Kylian Mbappé in March, said he became a soccer fan through video games. He added that his soccer enthusiasm continued to grow once he started going across the pond and meeting some of The Beautiful Game’s biggest stars, like Mbappé.
The star running back is rolling with France to win the tournament and Lamine Yamal to win the competition’s Golden Boot.
As far as the U.S. men’s national team goes, Robinson did not seem optimistic of a deep run on home soil when asked where he thought the team would see its World Cup journey end.
“I don’t know. I want to say it’s the Round of 16, but we’ll see,” he said. “They’ve got to prove it first.”
Bergeron, a Canadian, picked against his home country and took Les Blues to bring home their third World Cup trophy. He added that he will try to root for Canada and hopes they go far.
“Last time Mbappé was on the World Cup stage, it was a great game versus Argentina, so hopefully they can pull it off,” Bergeron said. “I like the storyline with Brazil, with Neymar ... I hope to see Brazil and France play each other.”
Both intend to attend matches in Atlanta with Bergeron circling Spain’s match against Saudi Arabia on June 21 and Morocco vs. Haiti on June 24 on his calendar.
“I think Atlanta’s going to be a great host for those games, and I’m super excited to get to learn about new culture, obviously sports,” he said. “I might rock a Spain jersey, you never know.”
About the Author
Fisher Isbell joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in May 2026 as a sports summer intern, covering various professional and college sports. He is entering his third year at the University of Alabama and serves as the sports editor for The Crimson White, the school's student publication, covering primarily Alabama football and men's basketball.
