On June 15, Atlanta hosted its first ever FIFA World Cup game. While the game ended scoreless, it provided one of the most stunning upsets in World Cup history, as Cape Verde, the smallest country by land area and the second least populated country to ever qualify, stopped tournament favorites Spain from scoring.
After the final whistle, a crowd of 67,640 shocked Spanish fans and ecstatic Cape Verde fans flooded the city.
Only three days later, South Africa played Czechia. With nothing but my phone and a discounted ticket in hand, it was time to see how Atlanta would deliver another stunning experience.
Walking past the family from North Carolina, I approached the gates of the FIFA Fan Festival. This is a continuous event that hosts artists, vendors and most importantly, watch parties for fans that could not get tickets to World Cup matches, and I was curious to see what it looked like. However, the gates were locked and scheduled to open at 10 a.m.
Moving past the park, the stadium loomed above the crowd in its new multi-colored FIFA World Cup skin. Noticeably absent was the Mercedes-Benz logo, though. Since FIFA prohibits corporate sponsorships that are not affiliated with its official partners, what was the Mercedes-Benz Stadium was simply labelled as the “Atlanta Stadium.”
Just outside the stadium were dozens of journalists and camera crews filming fans as they walked by. One South African fan was telling his family to go up to a camera and “say hello to everyone back home.” That is when the magic hit me: millions of people across the globe had their eyes focused on Atlanta and I was a part of it.
However, the thought quickly subsided as raindrops drizzled across my face. I knew it was time to go inside.
Inside the Stadium
Once security ran me through a metal detector twice, I scanned my ticket and walked through the turnstile. Despite the lack of synchronized South African or Czech chants outside the stadium, I knew it would be different inside; however, while there was an atmosphere of anticipation and camaraderie, there wasn’t a lot of passion. I figured it would change once the game kicked off and more people filled out the stands.
Eight years have passed since the USA was announced as a host nation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Four years passed since Atlanta was confirmed as a host city. Just under two years passed since a semifinal game was announced for Atlanta, but finally the games were here.
The Match
Czechia scored almost immediately, and the passion finally arrived. Even though most of the supporters in attendance were not fans of South Africa or Czechia, I realized they were just fans of sports.
Myers, a teenager who had traveled all the way from New Orleans, sat to my left. Though not a hardcore soccer fan, his curiosity kept him engaged whenever South Africa was on the attack. To my right sat a South African fan who was born in Johannesburg and moved to Atlanta over ten years ago.
During the middle half of the game, I spoke at length with him, and he felt that that hosting the tournament came with some costs to the city. “The construction and prep to make the city ready has caused so much traffic and delays in everyday Atlanta life,” he said.
Yet, he did not seem to think it was all bad: “I do like how it’s an excuse to improve the city’s infrastructure and funnel a lot of money into improving things like MARTA.”
After speaking to him and Myers some more, South Africa began to take my attention back to the game. Chance after chance came their way. The crowd would stand up for every corner they took, just for the South Africans to take a short corner and blow any chance of scoring away. Everyone was now cheering for South Africa if they were a neutral. The crowd just wanted another goal.
That goal finally came in the 83rd minute. A South African player threw themself to the ground while in the Czechia box and earned the team a penalty. After slotting the ball past the keeper, South Africa finally broke the deadlock and the floodgates opened. There were at least three to four separates chance that kept the crowd on the edge of their seat. South Africa looked like they could win it!
Then, the final whistle blew and it was over.
The Aftermath
Events at the fan fest were still closed immediately after the game ended due to weather, leaving some fans unsure of where to go. Some ended up watching the following games as far as Cypress Street Pint & Plate in Midtown while others found nearby bars to settle into.
A little while later, I spoke with a casual fan who was also at the game, Michael Halicki. Halicki expressed immense pride in Atlanta for being a host city: “Going to a World Cup game gave me a similar kind of, uh, feel of the idea that you’re in a place that is historic and on a grand scale and it really made me feel proud to be an Atlantan.”
When asked if the World Cup would revitalize Atlanta’s interest in soccer, Halicki said “I feel like soccer is here to stay in Atlanta… I really get the sense that it’s something that again, looking at our Falcons and Braves, that we have our up seasons and down seasons… But I have a sense… that Atlanta is forever changed.”
Ultimately, as the tournament progresses, the excitement in the city shows no signs of slowing down. Atlanta is gearing up for more fixtures, including highly anticipated knockout stage matchups, and ultimately, the historic July 15 semifinal game.
