The excitement surrounding Atlanta’s World Cup matches is extending far beyond the stadium gates, bringing new customers and international attention to businesses in South Downtown.
As fans from around the world filled the city for the Morocco-Haiti matchup, local shops and restaurants welcomed a surge of visitors eager to experience Atlanta’s food, culture and hospitality.
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Among them is Dough in the Box, a family-owned donut shop that opened in South Downtown with help from redevelopment efforts aimed at revitalizing the neighborhood.
“We make 45 different types of doughnuts every day,” said owner Dannia Balestena. “We’re one of the few that makes so much variety: cake doughnuts, raised doughnuts.”
The shop has become an unexpected cultural exchange point during the tournament. Balestena said some international visitors are experiencing American-style donuts for the first time.
“Once they try them, they’re like, ‘Oh, now I understand,’” she said. “Sometimes we even have to explain that donuts are a breakfast food.”
Dough in the Box is one of several businesses benefiting from increased foot traffic generated by World Cup events and investments in South Downtown. The shop opened after its landlord received an Atlanta grant to assist with renovations, part of broader efforts to attract new businesses to the area.
“It’s amazing to see the dream of bringing this back alive, the street that means so much to Atlanta,” said Eloisa Klementich, CEO of Invest Atlanta.
Local leaders say the goal isn’t simply to capitalize on a month of international tourism. They’re hoping the World Cup serves as a launching point for long-term economic growth.
Through initiatives such as the Downtown Pop-Up Opportunity Fund, Invest Atlanta has helped support a wave of new businesses opening in the neighborhood. The program is designed to help entrepreneurs test concepts while creating lasting investment in downtown corridors.
For Balestena, what started as a temporary opportunity quickly became something more permanent.
“At the beginning, we thought it was going to be just a pop-up,” she said. “We’ll bring our donuts, we’ll sell them. As we went through, we decided, you know, I think this is going to be a good community. I think we want to grow and be in this side of town.”
As World Cup crowds begin to move on, business owners and city leaders alike hope the momentum remains. The tournament may have brought the world to Atlanta, but many are betting its biggest impact will be what stays behind long after the final whistle.
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