ATLANTA — Business owners in the metro Atlanta area will be able to put their personal brand front and center to customers during the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Atlanta officials announced the Welcome to ATL Experience, which will allow businesses in the area to apply for a vendor spot during the eight World Cup matches in the city.
From June 14 to July 15, applicants who get approved have a chance to share their wares during one of the largest events happening in the city this year.
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City officials said the Welcome to ATL Experience will include three downtown locations:
- In and around Steele Bridge at Centennial Yards
- The CTR (former CNN Center)
- South Downtown
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“For months, we’ve been preparing Atlanta small businesses for this moment through readiness training, capital coaching and focused events,” Lamar Stewart, interim Executive Director of Showcase Atlanta, said in a statement. “The Welcome to ATL Experience is where that preparation meets the world stage. Vendors from our Vendor Directory and Pop-Up Directory had first call on these spots, and now we’re opening it up. This is what we’ve been building toward.”
Business owners interested in being vendors during FIFA events will have two options for participation, if their applications are approved:
- Culture Stand: A 10-foot by 10-foot branded footprint with electrical hookup, full setup and teardown handled by the Welcome to ATL team, social media promotion and placement within the vendor’s chosen location.
- Experience House: A premium 10-foot by 20-foot buildout with upgraded branding, prime placement, category exclusivity at the vendor’s location and a dedicated influencer feature.
For participating businesses and vendors, the city said they’ll have to pay 30% of gross sales on event days, which it said was “below the typical 40% industry standard for activations of this scale.”
Vendors will also get weekly group support sessions to help with planning, working capital and operational readiness.
Some business will also be featured in special digital and print editorial keepsakes.
“Local businesses deserve a real shot at the World Cup economy, not just a view of it,” Candace V. Mitchell, Executive Director of CVM Worldwide, the Atlanta-based business development company producing the Welcome to ATL Experience, said. “We worked with our partners to choose locations with genuine visibility, and we built the vendor packages so a business owner can show up, plug in and sell without having to absorb the cost and complexity of building a footprint from scratch.”
Applications to get involved with the Welcome to ATL Experience can be found online.
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