The yard lines were freshly painted, and Y-shaped goalposts had just replaced the netted goals used for soccer, as it is called here. Dozens of people bustled in the corridors of Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz stadium, a logistical marvel whose roof opens like a camera shutter. The stadium was being transformed into the colors of the Falcons for Sunday Night Football, the weekly showcase of American football. Atlanta United FC also calls the stadium home, but here in the Deep South of the United States, touchdowns reliably draw more excitement than goals.
In the hearts of Atlanta fans, Atlanta United still trails the city’s big three: the Falcons, the Braves (baseball) and the Hawks (basketball). Many residents would even put college football – a local religion – at the very top. The Georgia Bulldogs, college students barely out of their teens, play each week before tens of thousands of spectators.
It is hard to imagine, in November, that this entire all-American sports ecosystem will fall in step with the rest of the planet in the summer of 2026 to celebrate, for more than a month, the other football – the real one. Atlanta is set to host eight matches during the World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19.
‘A generational opportunity’
The city is extremely proud and eager to share the news with everyone. When asked to compare it to the Super Bowl, the most watched sporting event in the United States, Rich McKay did not hesitate: The World Cup is the “next level.” McKay, the CEO of AMB Sports & Entertainment, the fund that owns the Falcons and Atlanta United FC, and manages the stadium, which belongs to the state of Georgia, emphasized that the tournament lasts six weeks, compared to the four days surrounding the Super Bowl. “It is a generational opportunity, because since the Olympics [held in Atlanta in 1996], you’ll not have seen anything quite like this: The amount of people, the amount of attention, the amount of focus, and the duration will be a challenge.”
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