Atlanta is set for the World Cup 2026
See you on the pitch in 2026!
Welcome to my newsletter by me, King Williams. A documentary filmmaker, journalist, podcast host, and author based in Atlanta, Georgia. This is a newsletter covering the hidden connections of Atlanta and everything else.
1. The 2026 World Cup is set. Atlanta will host 8 games.
FIFA, the global soccer federation and the organization behind organizing the World Cup, has announced the dates and sites for the 2026 tournament. And to the surprise of many fans and insiders, the championship will be played in Metlife Stadium in northern New Jersey in East Rutherford, home of the Meadowlands Sports Complex.
This choice of a NY/NJ final was considered an outside option, as Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, and even Atlanta were all on the shortlist for potential sites. 16 North American cities, including 11 US cities, will host games, with Dallas and Atlanta hosting the semifinals and New Jersey hosting the final. Atlanta’s 8 matches are second only to Dallas’s 9 total matches of the 2026 cup.
2. 2026 will be different than previous tournaments
The 2026 tournament will be the biggest ever as the field expands from 32 to 48 teams with 104 matches in total. The tournament will take place from June 11th through July 19th, 2026. In addition, all global soccer leagues are pausing during this period to have players, coaches, and staff participate.
This will also be the first time three countries co-host the games: the USA, Canada, and Mexico. The 2026 tournament will also be the first multi-country hosting World Cup since 2002’s dual-country tournament in Japan and South Korea. This will be the second World Cup ever for the US after the 1994 tournament. A tournament that saw Brazil win its fourth championship.
3. The differences in World Cup 1994 vs 2026
The biggest differences between the 1994 and 2026 World Cup for the US will be the tournament's scale, increases in overall revenue, the expansion of the MLS, and the growth of the Women’s World Cup. Alongside the maturation of the internet, streaming video, and social media.
The 1994 World Cup: The birth of the modern US soccer industry
The 1994 tournament was noted for being the most attended tournament ever, the first outside of Europe or South America. As well as for exposing the US to international soccer. The 1994 tournament was also the driving force behind the creation of the MLS, America’s own Premier League of soccer.
Notables of the 1994 tournament
The 1994 tournament could be considered the entry into the sport's modern era. The selection of the US, alongside its push for celebrity, theatrics, mass media, and overt corporate sponsorships. All are now common. As well as the last tournament of legendary footballer Diego Maradona of Argentina.
The 1994 tournament featured powerhouses Germany, Italy, and Brazil throughout. The 1994 tournament was notable for having the first unified German team since World War II and the first team since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. West Germany dominated the 1980s tournaments, finishing second in both 1982 and 1986 before winning in 1990.
The international politics, plus the resurgence of international favorite Brazil and newcomers to the United States, led to broad success on television. Success that led to a renewed push for professional soccer in the US. The 1994 tournament and the lead-up were the impetus for the eventual creation of the US’s official professional soccer federation, the MLS (Major League Soccer)—the US’s second attempt at producing a professional league.
The MLS: The made-from-scratch league that’s finally taking shape
The MLS is the predecessor of the NALS (North American Soccer League), which operated in the US from 1968 to 1984 and is best known for bringing Brazilian soccer icon Pelé to the United States.
The first World Cup in the US was held in 1994 across 9 US cities: Dallas, Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco, New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, Orlando, Boston, and Washington D.C.. This distribution of cities was meant to be distributed across the biggest US cities and metros to ensure attendance. The strategy also leaned on the demographics of current and future residents to build audiences for a would-be professional soccer league.
The MLS would play its inaugural season in 1996, featuring 10 teams, including 5 teams in cities that hosted matches during the 1994 tournament. As of 2026, eight of the nine original host cities of the 1994 tournament will also have MLS teams. Only San Francisco will be without, as in-region San Jose is the only current MLS city in northern California.
2026: The maturation of the US soccer industry
Unlike in 1994, the World Cup of 2026 will see a mature soccer market in the US. This full circle started in 1994 and was carried over by the MLS for over 30 years. The MLS is in the best shape it’s ever been; the league will have expanded by over 20 additional teams and built out development for youth talent, including a draft, transfer program, and training facilities. The league also signed an exclusive distribution deal with Apple in 2022 and secondary television deals to carry key games.
In 2026, the MLS will be at 30 teams, distributed across several first, second, third, and fourth-tier cities across the US. The biggest teams, Atlanta United, LA Galaxy, New York City FC, Portland Timbers, Toronto FC, and Seattle Sounders, are anchors of the league. Atlanta, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Toronto are annually at the top of the league in attendance, corresponding to their cities also receiving World Cup games in 2026.
—Fwiw, Atlanta, since the arrival of Atlanta United in 2017, has been the top in attendance in the league each year. And the 2nd highest in the Americas.
4. Why FIFA should/should not have selected NY/NJ
With New York/New Jersey’s selection, FIFA has signaled to favor internationally known cities, such as Los Angeles and Miami, versus US-centric cities like Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta.
Why did FIFA select NY/NJ for the finals?
New York/New Jersey is an easier sell for international ticket buyers, and NYC carries more brand recognition than any other city outside Los Angeles.
For FIFA, New York/New Jersey does allow for some key advantages. First, the area has the hotel capacity to manage 1,000,000+ fans easily. Second, it has the transportation infrastructure to manage fans. Third, it has all of the restaurants, retail, and third places for tourists inside NYC and nearby cities, Jersey City and Hoboken. Fourth, the location of three major airports: Newark, LaGuardia, and JFK, all of which can run 24/7 as well as have the transit needed to avoid producing drivers not familiar with American roads.
But now, with the selection of New York City/northern New Jersey hosting their first international sporting championship event, the question remains: was this the right decision?
Why FIFA should not have selected New York/New Jersey
Due to the location of MetLife Stadium in the heart of the Meadowlands, an 8,000+ acre urban wetland and floodplain for New York and New Jersey, the area has mostly been left remote, which is a departure from the destination districts, heavily transit-oriented, and urban-centered stadiums of past tournaments. The selection in MetLife Stadium is a historical oddity.
Much of this is due to the wetlands itself, which are located away from all additional transit hubs. Due to its environment the area is also a site of large legal and illegal dumping, including several superfund sites.
Because of this, the area is just outside the viable transit connections to New York City and neighboring New Jersey cities, Hoboken, Newark, and Jersey City. Leaving MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands of East Rutherford, New Jersey, an odd choice to host the World Cup final.
The Meadowlands and MetLife Stadium
The Meadowlands is a multi-sport venue hosting professional and collegiate sporting events for New York City and New Jersey. It is located across the Hudson River from New York City and has been home to the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets for decades.
Both teams were swayed from their former stadiums, Yankee Stadium for the Giants in the Bronx and Shea Stadium in Queens for the Mets. Both teams were swayed by financial incentives and the pitch of being closer to wealthier ticket buyers via the white-flight-induced suburbanization of northern New Jersey in the 1960s and 70s in New York. In addition to the pitch being able to play in a football-only stadium.
As a result, the site is one of the few isolated, car-centric, and suburban-designed low-density developments in the entire New York metro area. This isolation has made hosting other large events, such as the Winter and Summer Olympics, mostly out of reach for the region.
Metlife Stadium and Meadowlands are poorly designed and located
Due to it being in the one part of the metro that is primarily accessible by only car or bus. Because of its development, NYC/NJ residents have mostly eschewed the area outside of the 8 Giants and 8 Jets home games a year.
This is anchored by a secondary problem of acres of surface parking lots that surround the stadium, leading to no secondary activities pre-and-post games. As well as the only nearby amenities are Meadowlands properties.
MetLife Stadium is not up to par compared to in-region facilities
There is a noticeable difference between Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, Citi Field in Queens, The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and Madison Square Garden in Manhattan—all arenas double as multi-use, transit-friendly venues built and scheduled for year-round activities outside of sports.
This has even caused would-be American football events such as the Pinstripe Bowl, the only college football bowl game in the tri-state area to be played in Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. As well as a series of annual ‘in-city’ American football games with collegiate teams Syracuse, Army, and Rutgers to be played at Yankee Stadium instead of the football-only MetLife Stadium.
MetLife Stadium and the Meadowlands have two years to get ready
New York City has hosted many American sports championships, primarily from teams already in the city in their own stadiums. Stadiums that are not in New Jersey. Regarding American football, the most comparable sport in field and stadium size, the region has only hosted one Super Bowl, 2014’s Super Bowl XLVIII. The only other American football championship game hosted in the Meadowlands area was the 1962 NFL Championship, occurring before the AFL-NFL merger.
In now hosting the World Cup final, MetLife Stadium and the greater Meadowlands will now have two years to develop a strategy to handle this new capacity. The 2014 Super Bowl, which serves as a case study, was mostly noted for the lack of snow and ice, rendering most preparation meaningless. But was noted for the hours people waited after the game to leave.
The 2026 World Cup final must be prepared for floods, hurricanes, environmental waste, urban heat islands, and a plan to move over 1,000,000 people in the region.
5. The other cities that FIFA could’ve selected
On the surface, New York City is the perfect place to host the final. But upon a closer look, other cities also offered a reasonable opportunity for hosting.
Dallas/Arlington, Texas
The Cowboys first opened the stadium in 2009 at a then-unprecedented $ 1 billion dollars.
New York/New Jersey’s selection surprised insiders as the presumed favorite, Dallas, featured an aggressive campaign that included a $350 million commitment in stadium upgrades from Dallas Cowboys/AT&T Stadium owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas may be the worst offender in suburban design as the stadium is not actually in Dallas but nearby Arlington, Texas. The site is also surrounded by even more acres of parking and a lack of nearby, walkable amenities. It's a billion-dollar stadium surrounded by a parking lot. The site is the most sprawling and would lead to many cars, with drivers unfamiliar with the US driving in and out of one of America’s biggest highway systems.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles is doing things no other American city is doing. First, it’s building more transit and venues for multi-use projects before and after the games. This is in addition to a secondary retail and residential development expansion around these new transit nodes.
But most importantly, it’s one of the few cities in the world with most of the infrastructure ready for an Olympics or World Cup.
The area will have three FIFA-approved stadiums: the Colleseum, the Rose Bowl, and SoFi Stadium. Los Angeles is pitching itself as America’s home for championship sports. The city is lightly being considered as the permanent home for the college football championship.
Like other cities, there is a dearth of mass transit and nearby amenities. But unlike other cities, at least some transit is already in development. There is also the 2026 World Cup being a benefit of the new infrastructure also being developed for LA hosting the 2028 Olympics. But none will be ready by 2026.
Miami
Miami is the gateway to Latin America, full of diversity and culture. On the other hand, a southern suburb-city region is too governed by microcities to make a major event like this happen.
Miami features the same sprawl, lack of off-stadium amenities, and terrible parking situation as NYC but none of the transit options. But unlike New York, does not contain any mass transit on that scale or nearby airports.
Atlanta
Atlanta had a compelling case but some key flaws. One, the overall downtown is growing and building around the arena. But the lack of completed development and the backside of Northside Drive and Marietta Street have no real value for an even the size of the World Cup.
The city can boast Atlanta United and its success in MLS as a would-be factor, as the team has been routinely the most impressive in its attendance.
Several private developments will be camera-ready by 2026, including South Downtown, Centennial Yards, the old Norfolk Southern Building, The Hilton’s Signia Hotel, and Underground Atlanta.
Other projects in the area, including the old AJC building, 222 Mitchell Street, CNN Center, and the Atlanta City Jail, will all have resolutions and likely upgrades and/or renovations done by the start of the games. Whether or not Northside Drive and Castleberry Hill will be ready is another story.
The city is also preparing to have some major projects ready by June 2026, including a revamped Five Points MARTA station, affordable housing tower, and homeless sheltering project already taking off in Mechanicsville.
6. Atlanta’s second chance at the global sports spotlight
For Atlanta, the 2026 World Cup will give the city a second chance to improve upon some of the issues related to the 1996 Olympic Games 30 years prior. While there are some similarities between 1996 and 2026, this World Cup features challenges and areas of improvement, unlike previous Atlanta eras.
Atlanta will now be the only US city to host the Olympics, World Cup semifinal, Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four Championship, College Football National Championship, and NBA/NHL/MLB All-Star games.
Pre-1996 Olympics Atlanta as a host city for championships
Atlanta is a relative newcomer in hosting big sporting events. Before 1994, the city was mostly home to the regional sporting championships in collegiate and some professional sports. The city mostly missed hosting major national or international sporting events until 1994, when it hosted its first NFL Super Bowl and the first SEC Championship football game in Atlanta.
The city had national sporting events, starting with its first MLB All-Star Game in 1972, then the NCAA Men’s Final Four in 1977, and the NBA All-Star Game in 1978. On the collegiate level, the Peach Bowl started in 1971 as a regional, non-championship game between the SEC and ACC collegiate conferences. Then, it rose to national prominence in the late 1990s before taking over as a rotating college football championship site in the 2010s.
Fixing things from the 1996 Olympics
The 1996 Olympics is notable for many things, including it being one of the more popular games and the last Olympics not to run in the red. But there were additional criticisms, including the number of corporate sponsors (now a common, necessary practice) and a 24-hour public transit system.
Thornier issues were the removal of homeless residents from the city, the destruction of public housing in key parts of the city, zoning away local vendors in favor of corporate ones, over-policing, and the Centennial Park bombing. In addition to general qualms over the games, including the sprawl between venues, sometimes a full hour away in places such as Conyers to the east for equestrian events and Stone Mountain for tennis, volleyball was hosted in Clayton County to the south.
7. The difference between 1996 and 2026
There are some similarities between 1994 and 2026. Both will be in election years for state and national office. Both feature international eyes on an America engulfed in conservative-induced culture wars. As well as a focus on the expanding American soccer market and its hopeful acceptance to a broader, global audience.
But the differences are also stark.
The biggest elephants in the room are the state Republican Party’s emphasizing militarizing and/or diminishing Atlanta’s political power by passing laws that restrict their autonomy. And the other elephant is ongoing protests around Cop City, which will likely be open by 2026.
1994
The first difference is that there will be a governor’s race and a potential major US Senate race. While the 1994 Georgia Gubernatorial race did see then-Democrat Governor Zell Miller handily win reelection, his election came on a final national pivot from white southern holdouts of the Democratic Party into the Republican Party, which was aided by a souring in Miller due to his attempt to remove the Confederate flag.
The 1994 political climate locally was very different nationally as Georgia’s own Newt Gingrich would lead to the eventual modern-era Trumpist/MAGA-leaning GOP of today. Georgia now has several Newt Gingrich-types in the state house and Congress who can make some serious noise in and around the summer of 2026. The World Cup would give ample news and unearned media to a candidate, media organization, influencer, social media account, or lawmaker savvy enough to build off it.
Georgia Politics in 2026
A US Senate, Georgia Governor, US Congress, and all state House races will happen in 2026. All are leaning heavily toward the GOP, who will likely rally against Atlanta, the mayor, the city council, and Democratic leaders in an election year. The World Cup serves as the best opportunity for media hits.
2026 will see the Republican Party and conservatives at their strongest point since the segregation era in Georgia. With that could come some unforeseen culture wars and politicking that Atlanta is unprepared for.
2026 is also the next Georgia Governor’s race, which could be as cringe-worthy as 2018’s. As well as the likely race between the current Republican Governor and the current Democrat US Senator.
Additionally, there could be a new potential US president, who is likely to have been a former president whose previous anti-immigration stances and other veiled racist veneers could lead to other issues on and off the pitch.
Atlanta Politics in 2026
Atlanta politics could look very different in 2 years…or be exactly the same.
There will be a new election in Atlanta next year. It is an election that will still favor all the likely incumbents, but due to the ongoing Cop City and crime-pornification of Atlanta media, there could be surprises. The World Cup will be a stress point for all leaders as there will be little room for error.
The current issues of the city: gentrification, affordable housing, transportation, taxation, uneven job/wage growth, uneven economic gains, homelessness, and ongoing protests could all be the same or worse in 2026…or it can be exactly the same. The Dickens administration is working on all these issues, especially around housing and homelessness, but those plans may not show their fruit until many years later.
Secondary issues, such as perceptions of skyrocketing crime, negative news cycles, worse restaurants, vacant downtown buildings, decreasing attendance on MARTA, lack of hotels, and a lack of third places, are all things that could be the same or can be exactly the same.
7. Conclusion
If Atlanta can fend off the GOP, hit all of their major infrastructure needs, and see the private market prepare for the world’s biggest game, Atlanta could get the jolt it needs to get out of the slump it’s been in since at least 2020.
The World Cup is coming in two years, and Atlanta must get ready
Atlanta is in a great position to win on and off the pitch in 2026. The 2022 World Cup in Qatar finally broke the US’s 1994 attendance record, but the 2026 could break that record. But to do so, it will require a greater level of preparedness. For Atlanta, everyone’s clock is set for June 1st, 2026.
For cities like Atlanta, the World Cup gives an opportunity to fast-track would-be minor and major projects in hopes of being ready for the World’s largest event. It also means new pressures for the mayor, city council, police, EMS, city planning, and transportation department to be ready. The city will likely have to fast-track all immediate sewage, water, and roadway projects to meet the deadlines.
See you on the pitch in 2026!
-KJW
Man, can we please, PLEASE, leave out the rediculously biased, political drivel for a non-political sporting event and sport that is Uniting Atlanta together. You gave No mention of all the major changes in the walkability of the downtown Centenial Park & Centenial Yards area. No mention of the literally 10's of thousands of hotel rooms just built or being built with in walking distance of the stadium. No mention of the world busiest, most efficent airport connection to downtown. No mention of all the restaurants, bars, museums and other amenties with in walking distance?? The ATL will probubly be the most walkable host city of ALL host cities! All you can complained about is the tired and very dated Northside Drive, segregating argument??? Seriously?! Come on! There's been great improvements since the Benz has bern built & Olympics here, and even good progress in Vine City with Arthur Blanks Westside funding, along with others. I'm writing this temporarily parked by the beautiful Rodney Cook Park and the beautifully restored houses happening around its perimiter. Catleberryhill is already good and getting better. How about opening your eyes and mind in the other direction! You made no mention of the sports and entertaiment area in Centenial Yards to be mostly completed by 2026. Look at Midtowns success. Yes, we need tanbible efforts made in South DTWN and UNDERGROUND- some incetivising these areas, especially housing. How about some funding to get the streetcar up to Ponce City market by 2026!! It should not take that long to build the streetcar there! We should be able to have the streetcar, on the Beltline, to Piedmont park by then! This would show the world our beltline neighborhood connectivity and highlight our growing walkability as a city. Again Atlanta has a lot of work needing to be done, especially with Marta's expansion but we probubly AlREADY are the most walkable of the American host cities were the stadium is located!! Certainly better than Dallas, Miami or the Meadowlands. Rise Up & Be United in your attitude and thinking, leave the politics out of it!!!