Key points:
- The Atlanta World Cup Host Committee held its monthly update at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on March 12.
- Atlanta and host committee officials reaffirm the city’s preparedness for World Cup fans and matches this summer.
- The update provided media inside looks at FIFA Fan Festival and Atlanta’s Last Mile, a public art installation leading to the stadium.
With 95 days to go, the Atlanta World Cup Host Committee held its latest monthly update at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which will host seven World Cup matches and one semifinal in June and July.
The press conference included a peek at the newly installed turf, transportation and city readiness updates, a preview of the FIFA Fan Festival itinerary and attractions, and an art installation. The latter is part of the World Cup Mile, a public art installation guiding fans to the stadium.
Officials providing updates reaffirmed Atlanta’s preparedness as a World Cup host city. Panelists included Dan Corso, President of Atlanta Sports Council and the Atlanta World Cup Host Committee, Bev Carey, the FIFA Atlanta Host City Director, and Tim Zulawski, President of Arthur M. Blank Sports and Entertainment.
Representatives from MARTA, the Georgia Department of Transportation, the Atlanta airport, and the city also updated media on the progress of everything from signage and beautification efforts to increased staffing citywide ahead of the global soccer event.
MARTA and airport updates
MARTA continues to implement major improvements leading up to the World Cup, including a billion-dollar station renovation program at stations in downtown Atlanta, Decatur, and Dunwoody. These stations feature match transit access and nearby fan events.
New wayfinding and signage to aid non-English speakers and multilingual advances in MARTA announcements are also underway, along with expanding accepted forms of currency at stations.
Jonathan Hunt, interim General Manager and CEO of MARTA, outlined match day strategies, like increased rail service, shorter wait times between trains, and two dozen additional buses as backups. He then unveiled new white transit ambassador uniforms for World Cup game days and a limited-run MARTA World Cup breeze card.
Augustus Hudson, General Manager of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, said the airport continues to focus on concessions, wayfinding strategies, and security efforts. Hudson touted the airport featuring direct access to hundreds of national and international flights daily, along with its close proximity to Atlanta via car and public transportation.
Related story:
• Officials say Atlanta’s airport, MARTA ready for World Cup fans
Jobs update
Katie Kirkpatrick, President and CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, assured the press that the World Cup would not impede the day-to-day operations of businesses, residents, and commuters, especially Downtown.
“I was here in 1996 [for the Olympics] and it was like a ghost town. I think everyone was really concerned about traffic impacts and that they were not going to be able to get to their offices. That is not the case with [the World Cup],” she said.
“We still need business to operate as normal during those time periods,” Kirkpatrick continued. “Business does not stop just because the World Cup is here. If anything, we’re enhancing the experience for employees.”
Kirkpatrick suggested ways Atlanta’s workforce can support local businesses while enjoying the festivities surrounding the World Cup. Examples include hosting in-office watch parties catered by independent Atlanta restaurants and encouraging employees to attend metro Atlanta World Cup fan events.
All 2026 FIFA World Cup coverage from Rough Draft
Last Mile art walk
Representatives from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) announced the Last Mile, an art installation that SCAD Dean of Academic Services Honor Bowman said will ensure “smooth crowd movement [to the stadium], while delivering a world-class fan journey that celebrates Atlanta’s identity.”
SCAD representatives displayed a piece of the art installation during the March 12 update, a soccer ball selfie wall that lights up.
FIFA Fan Festival
Georgia World Congress Center Authority CCO Joe Bocherer and Atilla Meis, producer of FIFA Fan Festival, shared a broad overview of the event’s itinerary throughout the World Cup.
Meis also unveiled FIFA Fan Festival’s theme, “Welcome Home.”
FIFA Fan Festival will feature a main stage for watching matches, a playground for families, a small community soccer pitch, and Georgia Street, laying out what the state has to offer beyond the World Cup.
The festival is now accepting vendor applications for Georgia Street.
It’s not lost on Bocherer that FIFA Fan Festival will take place nearly 30 years to the day of the start of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. Hosting FIFA Fan Festival at an Olympic venue is a full-circle moment for Atlanta and Georgia, he said.
“The Olympics really were the catalyst for [the] transformation [of] downtown Atlanta as we know it today,” said Bocherer. “The one thing that remained constant through all that was Centennial Olympic Park being a part of that revitalization.”
FIFA Fan Festival will operate on all Atlanta match days, and on a handful of non-match days. The free event at Centennial Olympic Park will run June 12-15, June 17-21, and June 24, 26, and 27, as well as on July 1, 7, 14, and 15.