Even if you’re not attending a match inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, this is still a once-in-a-lifetime moment! Atlanta will host multiple fan zones during the World Cup, giving everyone a chance to experience the World Cup atmosphere without stepping foot inside the Benz. From the official FIFA Fan Festival downtown to a 34-day party in Decatur, there’s no shortage of places to watch, celebrate, and enjoy the beautiful game.
FIFA Fan Festival at Centennial Olympic Park
The official FIFA Fan Festival will take over Centennial Olympic Park for 18 days during the tournament. The park sits less than a 10 minute walk from Mercedes-Benz Stadium, making it the natural gathering spot before and after matches.
Expect live broadcasts of every match on massive screens, plus concerts, food vendors, sponsor activations, and cultural programming running throughout the day and into the night. The production is being handled by Solomon Group and WINK, two companies with deep FIFA and global-event experience — including WINK’s work developing the Fan Festival concepts for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Centennial Olympic Park was the heart of the 1996 Summer Olympics, so there’s a nice symmetry to it hosting soccer’s biggest event 30 years later. The park is free to enter year-round, and general admission to the FIFA Fan Festival is free as well — though you’ll need to reserve a digital ticket in advance, with paid upgrade options also available. Check atlantafwc26.com for hours and the daily match-screening schedule.
Getting There: MARTA’s Blue and Green lines stop at the Sports, Entertainment and Convention District (SEC District) Station, which puts you right at the park. Check out our complete MARTA guide for step-by-step directions. If you’re staying downtown, it’s an easy walk from most hotels near the stadium.
Decatur WatchFest ’26
The City of Decatur is throwing its own 34-day celebration called WatchFest ’26, running the entire length of the tournament from June 11 through July 19. The newly renovated Decatur Square will serve as the main hub, with large outdoor screens showing select matches and nightly concerts featuring local and national acts.
Big Boi headlined opening night on June 11. The Indigo Girls will close things out on July 19, the final day of the World Cup. These two shows — plus The War & Treaty on June 25 — are WatchFest’s ticketed concerts and are now sold out, but more than 30 other concerts throughout the festival are free and open to the public.
Beyond the Square, over 40 Decatur restaurants and pubs have signed on as official WatchFest locations, meaning you can catch every match somewhere in town. The whole thing is designed to capture the energy of the World Cup without needing to fight traffic into downtown Atlanta.
Decatur Square sits directly above the Decatur MARTA station on the Blue line. If you’re coming from the stadium or downtown, it’s a quick ride east. See our MARTA guide for route details. The city also has over 2,500 parking spaces if you’re driving in.
Website: decaturwatchfest26.com
Pre-Tournament Matches in Atlanta
In the weeks before the World Cup, Atlanta got an early taste of the action when the USMNT played two high-profile friendlies against top-ten opponents at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Both ended in defeat, but they offered a preview of the big-match atmosphere returning to the Benz this summer.
USA 2–5 Belgium kicked things off on March 28, 2026. The U.S. actually led after Weston McKennie headed home in the 39th minute, but ninth-ranked Belgium — featuring Kevin De Bruyne — answered through Zeno Debast right before the break and ran away with it in the second half on goals from Amadou Onana, a Charles De Ketelaere penalty, and a Dodi Lukébakio brace, with Patrick Agyemang adding a late consolation in front of 66,867 fans. It echoed the last time these teams met at a World Cup, the 2014 Round of 16, when Tim Howard set a record with 16 saves in a 2-1 extra-time loss. Read our full report: USMNT humiliated 5-2 by Belgium in World Cup prelude.
USA 0–2 Portugal followed three days later on March 31. Portugal — now ranked fifth in the world and the reigning UEFA Nations League champions — won comfortably even without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo, who wasn’t named to the squad. Bruno Fernandes set up both goals: Francisco Trincão opened the scoring in the 37th minute, and substitute João Félix curled in a second just before the hour. A sellout crowd of 72,297, the larger of the two nights, watched the U.S. fall to its eighth straight loss to a European side. Our recap breaks it down: Poor decisions cost USMNT in 2-0 loss to Portugal.
The two losses closed out the USMNT’s March camp before Mauricio Pochettino named his 26-player World Cup roster on May 26. Atlanta United season ticket holders had the Belgium match included in their 2026 packages.
And Atlanta may not have seen the last of these sides. With Portugal on Atlanta’s side of the World Cup bracket, don’t be surprised to see them — Ronaldo included this time — back at the Benz for the July 15 semifinal. Planning to be here for a World Cup match? See our hotel guide for options near the stadium.
Watch Parties at Atlanta’s Best Soccer Bars
If the official fan zones aren’t your style, Atlanta has no shortage of bars and pubs that will be packed for every match.
Brewhouse Cafe in Little Five Points was named America’s Best Soccer Bar by Men in Blazers in 2025. The bar has 27 screens and has been a home for soccer fans since 1997, and a new location will be opening very close to Mercedes-Benz Stadium shortly before the tournament.
Fado Irish Pub has been showing soccer since the days of the Atlanta Ruckus. It draws a mixed crowd of Premier League die-hards and national team supporters.
The Irish Exit is the newest addition to Atlanta’s matchday scene, and it comes with a Scarves and Spikes connection: it’s co-owned by our good friend Kevin Egan, the MLS on Apple TV host, former Atlanta United broadcaster, and a World Cup Atlanta Host Committee ambassador, along with his wife, Meg. It’s the first Southern location of The Dead Rabbit Group, the New York hospitality team behind The Dead Rabbit, twice named the world’s best bar. The pub opened in mid-June 2026, right as the tournament kicked off, tucked into the new Centennial Yards entertainment district with an entrance facing State Farm Arena and a short walk from Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Expect perfectly poured Guinness, Irish coffee, craft cocktails, and an all-day Irish menu, along with a striking 45-foot mural celebrating the ties between Atlanta and Ireland.
Cosm offers something completely different. The immersive venue, the company’s third location after Los Angeles and Dallas, and its first on the East Coast, opened at Centennial Yards on June 10, 2026, just before the World Cup began. Its centerpiece is an 87-foot LED dome that uses “Shared Reality” technology to make you feel like you’re field-level at the match, no headset required. In partnership with FOX Sports and FIFA, Cosm is showing 40 World Cup matches on the dome, including all three USMNT group-stage games (June 12, 19, and 25) and the Final on July 19, making it the best way in the city to experience the matches that aren’t being played at the Benz. Seating ranges from premium dome spots to reserved tables and general admission.
For the full list of soccer bars, breweries, and places to grab a drink before or after the match, check out our guide to the best bars near Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Looking for food instead? Our restaurant guide covers the best spots within walking distance.
Men in Blazers in Atlanta
The Atlanta World Cup Host Committee has partnered with Men in Blazers Media Network to host multiple live shows during the tournament. These events will feature guests from Atlanta’s soccer, entertainment, and cultural scene as part of the network’s Tour of America.
Men in Blazers previously hosted a live show at Brewhouse Cafe in March 2025 when they presented the bar with the America’s Best Soccer Bar award.
Details on specific dates and locations for the Atlanta shows haven’t been announced yet. Follow meninblazers.com for updates.
Scarves and Spikes Live Shows
We’ll be hosting our own Scarves and Spikes live shows during the World Cup. Our pre-match events typically take place at Nest on Four at the Signia by Hilton, which sits right next to Mercedes-Benz Stadium with direct views of the action outside.
We’re still finalizing details for our 2026 World Cup programming, but expect live podcast recordings, guest appearances, and a chance to connect with fellow Atlanta soccer fans before heading into the stadium. Follow us on social media and subscribe to the podcast to get announcements as soon as we lock things down!
This guide is part of our complete World Cup 2026 Atlanta coverage.