When the FIFA World Cup comes to Atlanta on June 15, it will be one of the most-played host cities in the United States, hosting eight matches through June and July, including one Round of 32 match, a Round of 16 match and a semifinal.
Although Atlanta is where the games are being played, there are cities in Georgia that will be given the spotlight throughout this time, such as College Park, the city visitors have first contact with when they touch down at the airport. Despite its name, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is in College Park.
FIFA Pulls Rooms from Atlanta
Facing a pullback in room blocks from the FIFA organization in host cities across the United States, thought to be a reaction to decreased demand to travel to the U.S. as a result of recent actions by the country. Despite this, the cities remain optimistic. Roughly 1,000 rooms have been pulled in Atlanta, including Hyatt Regency Atlanta and Atlanta Marriott Marquis.
College Park Councilwoman Dr. Jamelle E. McKenzie says a 40% decrease is anticipated. “I think it has a lot to do with what’s going on federally, as well as immigration concerns,” she says. “People may not come because they don’t want to deal with the perceived issues are here in the United States.
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“We are expecting less than what we anticipated originally. But we’re still going to have more business in our city and more visitors and more traffic and more great things in June 2026 than we experienced in 2025.” McKenzie says they are still making sure we’re positioning our infrastructure and proximity to the airport to still receive and achieve what we call unprecedented economic growth.”
More than 175,000 room nights are booked in Atlanta from June 13 to July 16. “With ticket distribution for FIFA World Cup still underway, we anticipate a shorter hotel booking window as fans often wait to confirm travel plans until their match tickets are secured,” says Charlene Lopez, executive vice president and chief sales officer, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau (ACVB).
Lopez ensures that what Atlanta is experiencing tracks with other U.S. cities, but she expects momentum to build as the World Cup progresses and room demand increases heading into the elimination rounds.
“For planners, this cancellation of room blocks could present an opportunity to book guest rooms and meeting space that previously wasn’t available. With most major sporting events, meeting planners often assume there’s little to no availability in host cities. Now that additional rooms are available in the Atlanta market, there is new opportunity for small- to mid-sized meetings and off-peak day events,” Lopez says. “The release of FIFA World Cup room blocks is happening early enough to create additional flexibility for both visitors and planners. While we still expect strong demand around match days, this shift allows the city to better accommodate a broader mix of travelers. It also opens the door to group business that was previously perceived as unavailable.”
New Developments in Atlanta
The city has been prepping for the festivities, ready to host all the action coming in June. Its main anchor to it all, the partially opened Centennial Yards, is a $5 billion, 50-acre mixed-use project that will feature 1,500 hotel rooms, including roughly 3,000 apartment units, and a mix of retail, entertainment, and public spaces when it fully opens.
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Properties such as the 292-room Hotel Phoenix have opened and are accepting bookings for FIFA; Cosm, a venue built on immersive experiences, will open June 10, just in time for the matches. Other projects at Centennial Yards aren’t set to open until next year, such as Live Nation’s 5,300-seat event venue, set to open in 2027.
Working with the Local Community
Dr. McKenzie has been in office since 2024. In 2025, she contracted with an organization to work with the local business community in College Park. These business owners will be directly involved with FIFA and beyond. College Park restaurants such as Breakfast Boys, Nouveau, and Milk and Honey are involved in McKenzie’s Business Connects, bi-monthly meetings connecting with the city’s business community. She says about 60 businesses participate in these gatherings.
“We even had a World Cup preparation meeting,” McKenzie says, “We brought in people from Clear Channel [outdoor advertising company] and the airport, so our businesses could learn how they could come together and organize to advertise. When people come into the airport, they’ll see ‘come to Nouveau’ or ‘check out Main Street College Park’.”
The more than 100-year-old Depot will be renovated into a visitor center and College Park museum, as well as an event space.
Atlanta’s FIFA Fan Festival will kick off at Centennial Olympic Park on June 11 and will run for an initial 16 days but can run for up to 21 days, with live music, food, live match screenings and interactive experiences
Atlanta Beltline will launch Beltline Fest in conjunction with FIFA’s matches, connecting the 36 neighborhoods across the city’s eastside, southside and westside regions, encouraging visitors from all areas of the city to experience Atlanta. Beltline Fest will highlight local businesses, artists and entrepreneurs and feature a series of activations across its 17 miles of paved trail.
Security Concerns
College Park has often gotten a bad rap, grouped via zip code with neighboring city Fulton, which has a higher crime rate than College Park. This grouping of the two cities results in College Park’s crime statistics being higher than they should.
“College Park has 13,800 residents, but we have a daytime population of over 100,000 because of the airport,” she says. “The city of South Fulton has 100,000 people. So, a lot of the crime you’re seeing is being committed in that area. It’s not because we have a lot of crimes; it’s just based on the number of residents. When you look at crime based on 13,800 people, that’s why our crime stats look bad. It’s not because we have a lot of crimes; it’s just based on the number of residents,” she says.
Beyond the technicalities, McKenzie says when she moved from the Buckhead neighborhood in Atlanta, she found College Park to be safer.
She has reached out to Georgia U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff about this concern, and Councilman Tracy Arnold has petitioned to draw a more accurate dividing line between the two cities so College Park’s crime statistics better represent the city.
Atlanta’s security upgraded security during the games will be supported by a generous grant. The city has received $52.2 million through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) FIFA World Cup Grant Program, which includes support for police and fire overtime, upgraded emergency equipment, training support, emergency planning efforts and more.
The city is also receiving $7.6 million for enhanced drone detection and security through FEMA’s Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Grant Program.
