The United States is hosting several matches in the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 30 years, and we couldn’t be more excited. Next summer (June & July of 2026), we’ll see some of the best soccer matches in the world… and fans from all over the globe, too! And, according to a new study released by Betway, Atlanta stands to benefit a ton from all of the visitors. Keep scrolling to learn why below!
Which cities will benefit the most from hosting the World Cup?
Atlanta ranks 3rd overall for cities that will gain the most from the FIFA World Cup, just after NYC (1st) and LA (2nd). And we’d say that isn’t too awfully shabby!
Here’s the order of how Betway thinks North American Cities will benefit the most from the 2026 FIFA World Cup:
- New York/East Rutherford
- Los Angeles
- Atlanta
- Miami
- Seattle
- Houston
- Dallas
- Toronto
- Mexico City
- Vancouver
- Boston
- San Francisco
- Philadelphia
- Kansas City
- Guadalajara
- Monterrey
How will the FIFA World Cup stimulate the city?
The research breaks down, basically, to saw that with more visitors, the local economy will be stimulated. Restaurants, hotels, bars, activities, transportation and more can all expect tons of patrons, with all the tourists coming to check out Atlanta.
Betway also includes:
Fans of the Atlanta Falcons will already be familiar with the venue, which opened in 2017. Although it’s typically associated with the NFL, our data shows that the area has the second-highest number of searches for the World Cup in the USA. With 29,800 queries between May and July 2025, and 96% of hotels already booked for Atlanta’s first game, tickets are sure to be a hot commodity. The city finishes third on our list with a total score of 53.19 out of 100.
How did Betway come up with this data?
Betway ranked how each of these cities will benefit from the influx of visitors by using a list of 8 different factors, including:
- stadium capacity
- # of games hosting
- World Cup related searches
- travel-related searches
- Hotels available
- % of hotels unavailable
- # of airport passengers
- # of international visitors
They say,
Once the data for the factors was collected, the factors were then normalised, to provide each factor with a score between 0 and 1. If data was not available, a score of 0 was given. The normalised values were then combined, to give each city a total score out of 100. The cities were then ranked from highest to lowest, based on their total scores.
For the full methodology, visit Betway’s website, here!
What is the expected economic impact of the World Cup on Atlanta?
First, let us give you some of the facts: Mercedes-Benz Stadium has a capacity for 71,000 attendees, with a listed standing room of up to 73,019. Planners forecast that there will be an estimated 65,000 spectators per match, with the city hosting 8 matches.
That puts the total at 520,000 spectators–but doesn’t take into account that many visitors will view more than one match at the stadium. The Metro Atlanta Chamber gives a more conservative estimate of 300,000 unique spectators.
From there, the Chamber expects each visitor to spend around $1,070 per person on food & drink, entertainment, hotel and merchandise. (NOT accounting for FIFA World Cup ticket prices.)
In total, the economic impact on the state of Georgia is expected to be around $503.2 million.
If you’re interested in reading more, you can check out the full report on the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s economic impact report, here.
Which games will be hosted at Mercedes-Benz Stadium?
Atlanta will host 8 matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium next summer. They are:
- Monday, June 15th, 2026 – Match 14, Group H
- Thursday, June 18th, 2026 – Match 25, Group A
- Sunday, June 21st, 2026 – Match 38, Group H
- Wednesday, June 24th, 2026 – Match 50, Group C
- Saturday, June 27th, 2026 – Match 72, Group K
- Wednesday, July 1st, 2026 – Match 80, Group L winners v Group E/H/I/J/K third place
- Tuesday, July 7th, 2026 – Winner match 86 vs. Winner match 88
- Wednesday, July 15th, 2026 – Winner match 99 vs Winner match 100 (SEMI FINALS)
We’re PUMPED for the World Cup, right here in the ATL! Who’s ready for it?