So, you’re coming to Atlanta for the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup and you’re asking yourself, “Well, what am I going to do in the city?” Luckily for you, there’s an overwhelming amount of stuff that you can get into outside of simply visiting the world-class Mercedes-Benz Stadium to watch some of the best footballers on the planet vie for the most prestigious trophy in all of global team sports.
From sightseeing to eating and drinking, there’s no shortage of fun stuff to do while you’re in Atlanta. I’ve lived in the Atlanta metro area for over 20 years now and this is just a truly special city within a forest where you can find and enjoy so many wonderful things to get into. With that being said, I know that if you’re here for the World Cup then you’ll likely want to find out where all of your fellow fans are going to be hanging out at, so let’s start there!
Soccer pubs to visit in Atlanta
If you’re coming to Atlanta for the World Cup and you want to get the full ATLien soccer experience, there’s one bar that you absolutely have to visit. The legendary Brewhouse Cafe in Little Five Points is the best place to meet other hardcore football fans. No matter what team you’re supporting, you’re going to find some really good people, some great drinks and an excellent environment at Brewhouse. There’s a reason why it’s been a true landmark for soccer fans in Atlanta since 1997 and it also makes sense that it was recognized by Men In Blazers as being America’s Best Soccer Bar back in 2024-25.
If you can’t get into the stadium for a game, then your best option is to go to either the location in Little Five Points or to the newest location in the South Downtown district of Atlanta – an area that is being revitalized ahead of the arrival of the World Cup. No matter which location you choose to visit, you won’t go wrong with the atmosphere that you’ll get to experience while hanging out and being in community with some fellow fans.
For more information on Brewhouse Pub, check out their website.
As far as other soccer bars go, local club Atlanta United has a list of pub partners who will surely be getting in on the action once the World Cup is in full swing. I can personally recommend Der Biergarten (which is within walking distance of the stadium and across the street from the FIFA Fan Festival at Centennial Olympic Park), Fadó Irish Pub (both locations – one in Buckhead and one in Midtown) and Park Tavern (which is located on the edge of beautiful Piedmont Park). No matter where you go, you’ll likely be in good hands if you choose to go to any of the listed bars that are partnered up with Atlanta United.
What to know about matchday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
First of all, here’s a tip about getting to the stadium if you aren’t staying anywhere within walking distance. I can’t recommend highly enough that you park at a MARTA station and take the train to the stadium. If you ride the Blue Line or the Green Line, you’ll have a straight shot to the stadium where you’ll be able to take a very short walk from either the Vine City stop or the SEC (Sports, Entertainment and Convention, not Southeastern Conference) District stop to the stadium.
If you’re coming from the Red Line or the Gold Line, you will have to transfer to one of the other two lines at the Five Points station. MARTA will provide the most stress-free transportation option and there’s a reason why people around here call it the “smarta” option.
If you do decide to park, buy your parking pass well in advance and leave for the stadium about as early as you feasibly can. Traffic will be heavy in the downtown area both before, during, and after the game. If for whatever reason you can’t get on the train, just know that you’re going to have to be very patient in the car during the travel portion of your matchday experience.
Once you actually get inside the stadium, you’ll get to enjoy one of the best stadium experiences that you could ask for. The stadium has provided a nifty A-to-Z guide that serves as an extensive FAQ that’ll answer just about any question you might have about what to expect.
The basic concessions are famously cheap but they also aren’t bad at all. You can get a ton of food for $20 so if you’re looking to get a tasty bang for your buck, you can’t go wrong with the basic offerings. There’s also plenty of high-end options for food and drink on offer – there are Atlanta staples like J.R. Crickets, Williamson Bros. BBQ, WNB Factory and Farm Burger.
If you’re looking for some good drinks, you won’t have to walk very far to find a good bar since they’re all over the place in this stadium. There are also monitors all over the concourse along with places to sit, so you won’t miss the action in case you decide to go out to grab something during the match.
If you’re in the stadium, I will say that if you sit in the corners then you may have a tough time tracking the action once it gets to the corners. That may have changed due to the altered layout of the stadium but that’s been a legitimate nitpick for Atlanta United matches so we will see if that’s been addressed now that the biggest tournament in the World is coming to Atlanta. Still, that’ll give you an opportunity to look at the massive halo board that serves as a scoreboard for the stadium, which is an incredibly impressive attraction in its own right.
What teams will be in Atlanta?
Cape Verde, Congo DR, Czechia, Haiti, South Africa, Spain, and Uzbekistan will all be playing group stage games at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Spain is the only team that’ll be doubling up on games, so fans of La Roja will be getting well acquainted with Atlanta between June 15 (their match against Cape Verde) and June 21 (when they play Saudi Arabia). This is an eclectic group of teams coming to town since you have one of the perennial favorites in Spain, two real dark horses in the form of Czechia and Congo DR, a South Africa squad that’s always capable of springing a surprise, a Haiti team making only their second-ever World Cup appearance and two newcomers in the form of Cape Verde and Uzbekistan.
Cape Verde’s story in particular is astonishing. While you could argue that some of the other smaller nations got in thanks to either the tournament expanding and/or (in Haiti’s case) benefiting from the fact that three teams got in as host nations so there was more of an opportunity than ever to get in from CONCACAF, that was not the case for Cape Verde. The team representing the tiny archipelagic island of just over 491,000 people won their group over perennial African World Cup representatives Cameroon in order to seal automatic qualification for the big show. Everybody who’s in this World Cup deserves to be here but Cape Verde is proof that there’s no reason to underestimate them. Still, they’ll be huge underdogs against Spain as they open up Atlanta’s slate of games.
In addition to the five group stage games, Atlanta will be hosting three games in the knockout round as well – one Round of 32 game, one Round of 16 game and then a Semi Final match as well. The winner of Group L will be coming to Atlanta to take on the third place team from either Group E, H, I, J or K. There’s a chance that four of the teams currently scheduled for Group play could be coming right back here for a Round of 32 game against a group winner that’ll likely be either England or Croatia coming out of Group L.
Either way, there’s some huge prestige that comes out of hosting a Semi Final match and it’s almost a guarantee that the matchup at that point in the competition will be an exciting one.
Other things to do in Atlanta
If you’re planning on staying in the downtown area, there’s a ton of stuff to do along with the FIFA Fan Festival in Centennial Olympic Park. In that surrounding area, there are attractions such as the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, the Children’s Museum of Atlanta and the College (American) Football Hall of Fame. All of these spots are fun and informative to visit and if you’re planning on hitting up all of them then the Atlanta CityPASS is easily your best option.
There’s still plenty to do outside of downtown, as well. The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park, the High Museum of Art, the Atlanta History Center, the Fernbank Museum, the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, the Trap Music Museum (strictly on weekends), and the Beltline are just a few places where you’ll find something that’s either fun or illuminating for you on your visit to the city.
As far as places to eat and shop go, you can’t go wrong with places like Atlantic Station, Ponce City Market, Lee + White in the West End, Chattahoochee Food Works in Midtown and if you’re willing to go out further into the suburbs for some real international flavor, just go anywhere on Buford Highway and you’ll find something delicious from any corner of the world. You can go to The Varsity if you want but the aforementioned JR Crickets has a location right down the street from The Varsity so just make the trip a little further down North Avenue and enjoy some lovely wings, instead.
If you find yourself bored in Atlanta (especially when an event like the World Cup is in town) then that is a real accomplishment. Even if you’re here strictly for the games, there will be a ton to do that could also prompt you to come back as well. Either way, there’s plenty of sights to see and activities to get into while you’re here and hopefully this guide will have given you even just a starting point on what all is possible in the crown jewel of the South.
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