ATLANTA — Nearly halfway through the FIFA World Cup’s stint in Atlanta and city leaders are sharing how it’s going.
Channel 2’s Jorge Estevez spoke with Katie Kirkpatrick, President of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce about how FIFA has impacted the metro area. She said it’s going great.
“This is as the mayor says, this is a group project and it is shining right now,” Kirkpatrick said.
FIFA World Cup teams, fans and activities descended upon Atlanta two-and-a-half weeks ago and city leaders tell Channel 2 Action News it’s been a big success.
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“It has been an incredibly positive opportunity to showcase the city and state,” Kirkpatrick said. “In fact, we have already had almost 400,000 people experience the Fan Fest.”
Kirkpatrick also said more than 360,000 people have gotten to experience Mercedes-Benz Stadium as part of the FIFA activities.
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During the events, including match days, visitors to the city are getting a full Atlanta experience, with almost two million people riding MARTA so far.
With thousands of visitors in Atlanta from across the United States and internationally, plenty of people are seeing all that Atlanta has to offer, but it’s not just in the city itself.
Across the broader metro Atlanta area, you’ll see communities holding their own special activities to celebrate, and experience, the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Whether it’s Decatur, Woodstock, Fayetteville or elsewhere, communities are showing up together.
The large event also means more collaboration, including bringing various government agencies, law enforcement divisions, businesses and citizens together to get things done for the World Cup.
“Atlanta has this real history of working together and it is really on display right now,” Kirkpatrick told Channel 2 Action News.
She also said law enforcement and police officers from across the state have stepped up to make the experience safe for everyone visiting.
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