In four years, a mass of people will descend on Atlanta that hasn’t been seen since the 2019 Super Bowl and the 1996 Olympic Games. Mercedes-Benz Stadium was picked as one of a handful of venues to host matches during the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
Atlanta, Georgia has been selected as a host city for @FIFAWorldCup 2026! pic.twitter.com/j0gpUo4AfW
— Mercedes-Benz Stadium (@MBStadium) June 16, 2022
The US was selected as one of three nations, along with Mexico and Canada, to host FIFA’s 2026 World Cup. This will be the first time the United States has hosted the tournament since 1994.
The other American cities are Seattle, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, and New York/New Jersey. Five other cities — Vancouver, Toronto, Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey — will also host games.
Soccer has grown in popularity around Atlanta as Falcons owner Arthur Blank brought the sport to the city in 2017. The club has been to two Eastern Conference Finals, and won the MLS Cup, US Open Cup, and Campeones Cup. Atlanta United has been the primary catalyst of the rapid ascension of soccer in the city, and now, the 2026 World Cup will help exponentially.
Many experts speculate Atlanta is in the running for at least one knockout round. Atlanta, along with Dallas, has also been floated as host cities for the semifinals, but an announcement on where the matches will be held likely will not come until early 2023.
If you’ve got somewhere to be in 2026 in Atlanta, you better leave now, because the entire city will be a mad house as the World Cup approaches.
You must log in to post a comment.