Atlanta awarded 8 FIFA World Cup 2026 matches, including semifinal | Reaction and potential impact

Atlanta to host 8 matches in 2026 World Cup, including a semi-final, bringing huge economic impact and potential for hundreds of millions.

Atlanta has been chosen to host 8 matches in the 2026 World Cup, including a semi-final match, and city sports leaders are overjoyed. The games are expected to bring hundreds of thousands of international and domestic fans into the metro area, with a potential economic impact in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Dan Corso, president of the Atlanta Sports Council, expressed his excitement at the news, stating that they were anticipating the city would get a healthy number of games, but were blown away by receiving 8. He emphasized the strength of Mercedes-Benz stadium, the city's connectivity to the world through the airport, and its history of hosting big sporting events as key factors in Atlanta being chosen. The support from the city and state further solidified Atlanta's position as a great location for the World Cup.

The U.S. team will play its opener at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on June 12, then play a week later at Lumen Field in Seattle. They'll return to California to finish the group stage at SoFi on June 25.

The World Cup group stage format for 2026 was changed to 12 groups of four teams from 16 groups of three teams, increasing the total to 104 matches from 64 in the 2022 tournament in Qatar. To win a World Cup, a nation will have to play eight games, up from the seven in place since 1974.

The top two teams in each group and the top eight third-place teams will advance to a new round of 32 that starts the knockout phase. Advancement for third-place teams was eliminated for 1998, when the tournament expanded from 24 teams to 32.

More matches mean more content for television broadcasters and more tickets to sell, increasing revenue for FIFA. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be broadcast on FOX. With two years to prepare, Atlanta is already perfectly suited to handle the influx of people and the challenges they may pose. The city is ready to host the biggest sporting event in the world and is looking forward to the economic and cultural impact of the 2026 World Cup.

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