Chapter 6 // The Games are Over, But We Can't Stop Now

Project Lead: Floyd Hall, Journalist & Cultural Producer

The World Cup should be a catalyst for a renewed sense of urgency across Atlanta.

“Is Atlanta a World Cup city?” felt like the question that hung and clung to our collective Atlanta perspective over the past six months, the way that pollen clings to our car windshields in the spring. But like a good rain, our city’s showing and showering of excitement and efficiency should have washed any doubts away.

Across several weeks in June and July, we witnessed how a sporting moment inspired concerts, community dinners, art exhibitions and, of course, a lot of soccer watching. World cultural and sporting traditions flourished alongside our local energy and enthusiasm, and we embraced a togetherness in our communities and a patience for increased traffic that we’ve rarely witnessed. Yet more than anything, Atlanta’s brand display during the 2026 FIFA World Cup showed that, when properly motivated, we can focus on the big goal, align resources at the corporate and grassroots levels, accelerate deadlines and delivery times, and get on one accord with messaging, infrastructure, and championing the best of what our city has to offer.

And yet, there’s still more work to do. While we’ve just seen the latest example of how Atlanta’s leaders (elected and otherwise) can successfully advocate for what makes it a great host city for big events, Atlanta—as a city, a collective thought community, a real place for some, and a source of perpetual imagination for others—seemingly still continues to wrestle with how it sustains its best for those that often care the most—the residents who call this place home.

So what’s next? After a big moment like this, it typically feels right to take a moment to rest, reflect, recuperate, and recharge, and find some way to get back to a “normal” pace. However, I would urge against anything that feels like slowing down or a return to our previous operating settings. We need even more urgency.

Throughout the Atlanta Region, our World Cup moment has shown that across agencies, municipalities, and the corporate sector, we have been willing invest in creative frameworks for sport, transit, sustainability, and strategic deployment of private and public capital. So why stop now that the games are over? Let’s keep the momentum. Let’s use this energy to spark further investment in/for the people of Metro Atlanta and maintain this energy of being the vibrant collection of cities we believe ourselves to be.

Because, after all, being a World Cup city means more than putting on a great show when the cameras are watching and the lights are brightest on a world stage, it means developing a mentality that believes it's just as important to nurture the best outcomes for the people who are the city’s foundation—because they’re always watching, too.