Atlanta’s FIFA Fan Festival is “sold out,” but here’s how to still catch the USA match around the city

The free FanFest at Centennial Olympic Park has become Atlanta’s (and the country’s) shining example for World Cup watch parties. With the USMNT playing tonight, it’s once again about to be the busiest spot in the city that doesn’t require a match ticket.

If you’ve been downtown at all during this World Cup, you already know that Centennial Olympic Park quickly turned into the true beating heart of Atlanta’s World Cup. Over the last week it’s gotten to the point where the FIFA Fan Festival is regularly packing out to capacity. With the USMNT playing its Round of 32 match tonight, it’s worth noting that besides the VIP tickets, the FanFest itself is “sold” out. I put it in quotes because the regular tickets are free, but they’re no longer attainable on the FanFest site.

It’s free…essentially

The thing a lot of people misunderstood is that the Fan Festival is was completely free to get into, but it’s not walk-up. You need to register in advance for the specific day you’re going, grab your QR code, and bring it with you, and there’s a limit of six tickets per order. You technically could register for every day you planned to attend over at the official site. Unfortunately, some of these free tickets have been popping up on the “resell market” a.k.a. Facebook Marketplace and elsewhere from people who are selling and transferring their tickets for upwards of $50-$75.

If you want to take the uncertainty out of trying to go entirely, there are still paid upgrades directly from the FanFest website, a GA+ option with a private bar and viewing area in the $45 to $65 range, and full VIP hospitality packages that run higher, which guarantees you a spot (which is likely more comfortable).

Getting there without losing your mind

No matter whether you’re a lucky one with tickets to any of the remaining days, or you’re going somewhere nearby in downtown, MARTA has legitimately been the unsung hero of this entire tournament. The SEC District station drops you right near the edge of the park, and if you don’t want to swap trains, you can also hop off at the Five Points station and it’s about a five minute walk from there. Downtown parking is extremely limited, for obvious reasons, during the World Cup, and any official event parking has to be reserved and prepaid (for a wild amount) in advance, so driving in and hunting for a spot is straight up not going to be a good time. There’s also a pedestrian protection barrier set up around the perimeter of Centennial Olympic Park, so foot traffic flows differently than usual. If you want the full step-by-step on the trains, including straight from the airport, we laid it all out in our MARTA guide.

If you can’t get in, you’ve still got options

If you don’t get into the main FanFest, the good news is Atlanta has more places to watch than just about any host city. We have a full, running list on our where-to-watch guide and our fan zones and watch parties page, but here’s the short version.

If you want to stay near downtown, head east to Decatur WatchFest on Decatur Square, the free festival showing matches on giant outdoor screens every day through the final, with the Decatur MARTA station right on top of it. Brewhouse Cafe in Little Five Points was named America’s best soccer bar by Men in Blazers, Fadó Irish Pub downtown draws a great crowd, and over at Centennial Yards you’ve got Cosm, an 87-foot LED dome, and the brand-new Irish Exit right next to Cosm.

Coming from outside the perimeter?

If you’re coming in from outside the perimeter, there are plenty of metro spots showing matches without the downtown craziness.

Cobb and Marietta: Glover Park Brewery on Marietta Square is showing all 104 matches on HD screens. Over by Truist Park, the Plaza Green at The Battery Atlanta is putting select matches on a big outdoor screen for free.

Alpharetta and the Perimeter: Showdown Social in Alpharetta runs hosted World Cup watch parties with 50-plus TVs and reserved tables for groups, an easy drive for the whole north metro. Taffer’s Tavern has viewing parties at its Alpharetta location, and High Street near Perimeter Center is doing free “Games on The Green” watch parties through July.

Outside of that, there are several counties that have their own series running, like Gwinnett’s “Kick It in the Nnett.”

The whole city is locked in on the tournament, though. I personally went last night to a local Mexican restaurant for Mexico vs Ecuador and had an absolute time. They brought out a clay airplane with tequila shots during the hydration break. Point is, Atlanta and metro-Atlanta are ready, you can certainly find a local spot to watch the games and have a vibe.

It sucks that the Fan Fest selling out night after night, but it isn’t a problem so much as it’s the whole point. We’ve touted Atlanta as the soccer capital of the United States for years now. This is a place that waited a long time to host the world and is showing up for it in a massive way. Today is going to be a huge day across the metro, with England and DR Congo at the Benz at noon and the US in the evening, so whatever your plan, make it to your spot early and give yourself room.

For everything else on the World Cup in Atlanta, from where to watch to how to get around, check out our complete World Cup hub.