Copyright The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
From the airport to MARTA to small businesses, Metro Atlanta Chamber says city must put on its best face for the World Cup. A general view of the exterior of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, as seen from the International Plaza, after sunset, Thursday, August 24, 2017 in Atlanta. (Paul Abell via Abell Images for Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl) International soccer stars won’t be the only ones expected to perform at their best next summer. Atlanta and other 2026 World Cup host cities will have to prove they’re worthy of an international stage under the scrutiny of billions of onlookers. It’s a spotlight Atlanta hasn’t seen since the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, an event that redefined downtown and the city’s global image. — — s’dlrow htiw keew ot ot siht eht eht taht metsys ,derednauqs dias .ydaer ytinutroppo fo tsum gniteem sredael si morf tecaf lairotide gnirud nwotnwod ytic t’nac tseisub .draob dereugaeleb eb eb na tropria a a dlroW ehT ehT orteM ATRAM s‘noitutitsnoC-lanruoJ yrevE puC rebmahC atnaltA atnaltA Ryan Marshall, (left) president and CEO of PulteGroup, is the 2025 Metro Atlanta Chamber board chairman. Chamber leaders including Marshall and Rich McKay, (right) CEO of AMB Sports and Entertainment and the Atlanta Falcons, met at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution office for an editorial board meeting on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (Natrice Miller/AJC) sihT“ ew kniht eht taht dias ytinutroppo fo wonk ”,ti si lanoitareneg rof .riahc draob etaicerppa dna dna dna dna dna lla a stropS hciR ,yaKcM s’CAM I snoclaF tnemniatretnE OEC ,atnaltA atnaltA BMA 6202 tuB“ ev’ew ot ”.mrofrep tog lliw lliw lliw hctaw srotisiv ot ot ot eht eht eht naps lanifimes detcejorp yalp no fo ,sehctam sehctam sehctam gnidulcni ni ni tsoh ,emag kcolf keew-evif evitsef snaf thgie gnirud knird dnetta .erehpsomta dna dna dna a a dlroW ,VT enuJ .yluJ puC snoilliB atnaltA atnaltA 000,005 — — tahw ot ot eht eht taht taht etats ,devlos dias laitnediser erar noitalupop elpoep ytinutroppo .reffo fo fo rebmun ylraen tsum sehctam lacitsigol sredael lanoitanretni xulfni sdaeh sah rof ecneirepxe setaerc s’ytic ytic segnellahc ssenisub eb dna dna dna osla a a ehT tnediserP CAM .kcirtapkriK eitaK s’tI OEC atnaltA Metro Atlanta Chamber leaders meet at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution office for an editorial board meeting on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (Natrice Miller/AJC) lliw ,sevlesmeht eht eht taht lufsseccus revollips ehs .dias dewener spaer tnemtsevni lanoitanretni semag rof stceffe ,sedaced dnoyeb eb dna na dlroW ,puC atnaltA A … sihT“ “ eW‘ dluow ohw er’ew epyt nwot ot siht ”’.ereht eht taht ,gniyas .dias elpoep fo fo deen si otni gnipoh evah ”,neppah erusopxe erusopxe srekam-noisiced gnimoc eb era dna uoY kcirtapkriK Be prepared nehw erew srotisiv .rehtegot ot eht sekat llits s’trops ecnis suorogir noitaraperp eno fo sah noillim-flah .stneve stroffe nwod gnitnuoc gnimoc seitic tseggib neeb dedrawa era dna a dlroW gnimocleW .S.U enuJ puC s’atnaltA atnaltA ,2202 11 Passengers walk in and out of the Five Point Station in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. (Ziyu Julian Zhu/AJC) .oN“ krow siht eht ,deilper ydaer ylkciuq ”.ssergorp tnemom si ni fi rof ta deksa a dlroW nehW yaKcM s’tI ,puC atnaltA tuB“ tuB“ krow lliw nehw yrev ot kniht s’ereht taht yllaer ”,ecalp fo tol ni ,ereh eh doog steg s’ydobyreve ”.od .deunitnoc tnedifnoc eb a a dlroW I puC )atnaltA( lliw ohw yaw slevart niart ot rieht eht eht .ixat emas erahsedir .htap regnessap ro ro otni ni rof wollof ylf dnif seitivitsef enoyreve rehtie ,nwotnwod yb sa dna a a ll’yehT ylraeN ATRAM lanoitanretnI noskcaJ-dleifstraH atnaltA atnaltA tropriA lliw s‘rotisiv levart htap fo ynam noisserpmi tsrif eb tahT .atnaltA Morning travelers make their way through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Monday, October 27, 2025. (Ben Hendren for the AJC) eht“ ,dlrow hcihw ew su pu levart eht eht eht taht ,etis lles .dias ,dias tup erutcip regnessap tsom rojam si si si ni ni sih eh tsrif seirref rehtaef ydobyreve tneve ”.esle rotaitnereffid seinapmoc ,pac neewteb esuaceb sa dna ydaerla ,tropria tropria a a a nehW ehT muidatS zneB-sedecreM yaKcM s’atnaltA A portion of the South Terminal parking facility is seen under construction as of Monday, April 21, 2025. Airport officials announced that the large parking garage is expected to be completed prior to the FIFA World Cup, for which Atlanta is a host city. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC) .yrots si tnereffid a ATRAM — sraey revonrut eht eht eht taht metsys dias efas pihsredir ,elbailer tnecer liar seitilauq .cimednap tsum tsum .evael pihsredael sredael ni yvaeh sah snaf decaf gnirud gninilced msicitirc eunitnoc naelc daorb eb dna dna dima retfa retfa dlroW ehT ATRAM CAM puC sihT“ woH“ uoy ohw llihpu ot esoht taht metsys cigetarts dias thgir ylkciuq trap lanoitarepo fo fo si si si detirehni ni eguh sah puorg gniog dehsilbatse sedaced ”,segnellahc eb ”.elttab na yrosivda a a ATRAM ,kcirtapkriK .tsuguA ‘I want to be there’ ,ycnarbiv ot ot .dias ytilibailer evitisop reffo ekam sredael gnitsal ,noisserpmi sah nwotnwod ,laicurc tub era dna a ytefaS CAM ev’uoY“ I‘ tnaw ot ot ot ”’ereht ,yas dias nosaer tnediserp elpoep fo tog evig .riahc draob eb dna dna a nayR puorGetluP ,llahsraM s’CAM OEC 5202 ot taht noitazilativer stcejorp tniop fo .mutnemom lufdnah gniniag seye ,nwotnwod era lla a nI ”yticinim“ lliw denrut ot retaeht eht eht eht eht .remmus ecaps .setis s’noiger cilbup nepo eno fo ton raen tsegral otni evisremmi ,letoh sah gnirehtag dehsinif tnempoleved noitcurtsnoc stnenopmoc dellac dellac yb yb ,sgnidliub noillib eb eb dna na lla mia a a sdraY dlroW ehT muidatS zneB-sedecreM hcluG .puC msoC lainnetneC tuB tnemtrapA 5$ Construction workers are seen working on a top floor near the Centennial Yards in downtown Atlanta on Monday, July 28, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC) hcihw gniogrednu rednu eht eht sreliater pihsrenwo fo fo fo fo revoekam rojam gninioj si ni ni evah wef .sevord snezod stsisnoc srednuof-oc dlo-yrutnec ,sgnidliub skcolb neeb ,yawa aera dna gnola a egalliV ehT hceT ,teertS htuoS llehctiM noJ nwotnwoD divaD sgnimmuC .daehkcuB ,gnosdriB atnaltA A htiw lliw ot ot eht taht cificeps dias delaever gniraperp dlem yek si .seirtsudni seirtsudni ni thgilhgih ’seirtnuoc seirtnuoc gnimoc rebmahc niatrec eb ydaerla ehT kcirtapkriK aigroeG .ceD atnaltA .5 ot eht ylralimis noitceles scitobor .sseworp stneserp ytinutroppo no hctam .gnirutcafunam gnivlovni thgilhgih sucof ,elpmaxe dluoc elibomotua dna decnavda a htuoS naeroK ynamreG roF s’atnaltA A sihT“ eht etats gnilles gnilles .dias yllaer ortem si ”,tnemtsevni rof cimonoce dna tuoba kcirtapkriK atnaltA hcihw ot eerht eht dias ylralucitrap denwo-ytironim nossel nrael si morf ,sucof ,smrif sedaced ,sessenisub era osla .oga a a llamS scipmylO kcirtapkriK … yehT“ “ gnorw lliw hcihw yrev yrev ot eht eht eht eht taht ,ygetarts llams .spohs ehs dias revo fo fo fo ton yltsom pop-dna-mom egral dnik ti si tog ”,dne snoitaroproc snrecnoc tnazingoc sessenisub detifeneb tifeneb eb ta elba dlroW scipmylO )snekciD ”.)puC tuB erdnA morf( royaM( Nicole Carswell grills sausages and hot dogs for football fans outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium before the Monday night game between the Buffalo Bills and Atlanta Falcons on Oct. 13, 2025, in Atlanta. Mayor Andre Dickens recently signed an executive order freezing permits for street vendors and community gatherings ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. (Olivia Bowdoin for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution) elihw ot eht taht metsys llams dias stnediser eraperp yap rehto no wen lacol ekil elacs-egral ll’ti si evitaitini yllufepoh gnithgilhgih rehgih yldneirf rof rof sucof stneve stroffe noitacude .metsysoce sdnedivid dekcab-ytic ,sessenisub sessenisub ssenisub dna dna smia a dlroW esacwohS kcirtapkriK s’aigroeG enutroF .puC atnaltA ,s005 stnaw ,msiruot ot ot eht eht eht eht dias yllaer ytinutroppo mret-gnol si si rof erusopxe detcepxe rebmahc .erutpac ssenisub noob eb a dlroW elihW yaKcM puC … er’uoY“ “ rehtehw ew ot ot ot eht eht taht taht xat egats selas .dias tiurcer rehto ton tnemom erusaem gnitsal-gnol sdael si ni ni tcapmi eh gniog rof ”,srallod ”.sessenisub era dna ytiliba ehT atnaltA )sseccus(
