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Decatur, Georgia
Image Credit: AdobeStock
No World Cup fan would risk getting stuck in a traffic jam, causing them to miss a minute of the action. Yet, one suburb outside Atlanta is aiming to be an ideal destination for even the most passionate soccer fans.
As the countdown begins for the biggest-ever World Cup tournament, the city of Decatur — located 20 minutes outside Atlanta — is poised to cash in.
“Two years ago, our leadership saw this as an opportunity to be a part of a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Sherry Jackman, the executive director of the Decatur Tourism Bureau. “The international passion for the sport brought it to light.”
It helps that the MARTA metro directly connects Decatur to Atlanta’s stadium. Visitors can take it straight from the square and then return to be a part of Decatur Watch Fest ’26, a 34-day soccer-themed event.
It’s go-time for the suburbs surrounding the 11 official World Cup stadiums. While they’re not at the center of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) excitement, many have plans to attract some of the 10 million visitors projected to attend the games.
Plus, dozens of U.S. cities are official Team Base Camps, which will also attract fans. It takes a lot of planning, compliance with FIFA regulations, and collaboration to be chosen as a camp, and city officials hope it will be worth the sweat in both the short and long terms.
Decatur officials enlisted Emory University to study the potential economic impact of drawing World Cup fans, and the results were promising.
“The low end was between $68 and $140 million,” Ms. Jackman said. “For a small town of 25,000 people, that’s very exciting for our businesses, restaurants, and shops.”
Big Game Training Starts Early
Ms. Jackman said the city began its World Cup efforts by pulling together a committee of business owners, residents, and elected officials to meet and brainstorm ways to showcase their city to this influx of new visitors.
Working from a strategic plan, they started by renovating the city’s downtown gathering spot, called the Square. While the Square hosted big events in the past, it was divided by a community bandstand. They pushed up the work to disassemble the bandstand and build a larger stage as well as a modern children’s playground featuring sunshades and plenty of places for parents to sit.
Aware of public concern over parking, Decatur also invested in a computer site that lets drivers find and reserve open parking spots within the city’s 4.7 square miles.
“Everything we did, we looked at the takeaway: Will this benefit us after the World Cup?” Ms. Jackman said.
Everything was in place for the Decatur Watch Fest, during which they’ll show more than 60 games on large screens in the Square and have live entertainment each day. The Indigo Girls, who have roots in Decatur, will play after the final match on July 19th.
State Farm Arena and Mercedes-Benz Stadium
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Hotel rooms are still available in town, although Ms. Jackman said they are filling up. They’ve also been marketing the town in downtown Atlanta as a great foodie destination with six Michelin-recognized restaurants only a few MARTA stops away. The hope is that even soccer fans staying in downtown Atlanta will spend time and money in Decatur.
Top City Assets Get Off the Bench
For cities that have already invested in top-level sports facilities, applying to FIFA to host teams as they train for the big games was a no-brainer.
“The most important piece of training camps is having the premier pitches,” explained Tim Ford, the sports and special facilities director for the city of Palm Beach Gardens. “Our park, which we built in 2019, was built to the same specs you’d see in Hard Rock Stadium that these top-tier soccer teams require.”
City officials applied a few years ago and were selected to host Portugal’s official FIFA Team Base Camp. Before they arrive, Team England is also training there to acclimate to the heat and humidity they’ll face this summer. Their official Team Base Camp is in Kansas City.
Beyond a perfect pitch, teams also require privacy, locker rooms, and weight rooms. The teams built (and paid for) their facilities and identified hotels that could accommodate the players and provide space from fans. City police are handling the escorts from the hotel to the field, and an emergency management crew will be on hand during the training.
“We are seeing people traveling up to Palm Beach Gardens to get a glimpse of the teams,” Mr. Ford said. “The economic impact is huge for this area. Beyond the hotel room nights for the team and the media and everyone who follows them, there’s a wide array of services required from drone operators to plumbers to a lot of behind-the-scenes support jobs.”
That’s a big deal in the tourist off-season in Palm Beach Gardens, which is directly connected to Miami via the Brightline passenger rail service. It’s an easy ride to the games for fans wishing to stay a little north.
Cheering Can Last for Years
Ms. Jackman said the city of Decatur knew the investment in the World Cup was important, based on its experience with Atlanta hosting the 1996 Summer Olympics. Back then, they hosted the Irish contingent. A couple of students from the University of Georgia had been working in catering as the city worked to impress the sport-loving visitors.
Years later, when the students wanted to open a pub, they returned to the city. Today, The Brick Store Pub is a famous anchor right on the Square.
“That was a pivotal point, the catalyst that started a change in our downtown,” she explained. “We weren’t the Decatur we are now. Sometimes, you have to invest and wait.”
So, while they’re focused on the upcoming tournament, elected officials have also made a habit of looking longer term. For example, three years ago, the state of Georgia extended the 8% hotel/motel tax to short-term rental stays less than 30 days. This will result in a boon for the area, as most of the Airbnbs near MARTA stops are filled with soccer fans, she said.
To maximize the economic impact, she said she’s been on collaborative calls with representatives of other suburbs throughout the United States looking to benefit from the World Cup. They compared how each city handles details like signage and strict FIFA requirements, and they’re helping each other.
Chattanooga is hosting the Team Base Camp for Spain, and a television station from there recently came to Decatur to interview in advance of Spain’s game in Atlanta. The hope is fans will visit the suburbs in between cheering on their team.
“The world of soccer is very passionate about soccer. They’re so invested in their team, and they will save and spend money to be a part of the celebrations,” Ms. Jackman said. “The level of passion is catchy.”
