Atlanta city leaders said that they are “ready for the influx of visitors and the global spotlight that comes with hosting” the World Cup, now just 54 days out, according to Shaddi Abusaid of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and his department leaders said that the city is “well-equipped to welcome potentially 300,000 visitors to the city.” Dickens said that airport officials have been “planning for months on how best to manage the deluge of travelers” and assured that Atlanta’s hotels “will have enough rooms to house visitors.” Abusaid notes the city is “helping connect residents with job opportunities, and low-interest, short-term loans are available for small businesses looking to get ‘World Cup-ready’ before this summer’s games.” Public safety officials said that they are “preparing to deal with whatever may happen.” Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told City Council members on Monday that his department is “hiring hundreds of officers from across the state to help out during the games.” The police department indicated that “between 100 and 150 officers are being brought in for each of the first five matches” and “about 200 officers will be on hand for each of the last three matches.” However, Abusaid notes “not everyone seems so sure” Atlanta is ready for the event. Community advocates have “repeatedly raised concerns about the tournament’s impact on residents.” Play Fair ATL, a watchdog coalition, has been “one of the sharpest critics of Atlanta’s World Cup plans and has accused the city of kowtowing to the interests of corporations instead of doing what’s best for residents” (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 4/22).
CAN NEVER BE TOO PREPARED: In K.C., Robert Cronkleton noted “hundreds of law enforcement officers, first responders and emergency-management partners -- along with actors, observers and evaluators -- gathered Tuesday morning at the National World War I Museum and Memorial to rehearse how Kansas City would respond to a major incident during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Fan Festival.” Local and regional agencies have “been building security and emergency-response plans” since K.C. was selected as a host (K.C. STAR, 4/21).
GETTING AHEAD OF THINGS: THE ATHLETIC’s Henry Bushnell writes FIFA came to North America years ago “promising that the 2026 World Cup would bring millions of visitors and billions of dollars.” In anticipation, hotels in host cities “hiked their summer 2026 prices and prepared to capitalize on the deluge.” But with two months to go, the “long-promised World Cup boom hasn’t yet materialized.” Some in the U.S. tourism industry “worry that it will turn out to be little more than a modest bump.” Others “remain bullish and expect travel bookings to pick up over the coming month.” Many have “re-calibrated expectations.” Across the 16 host cities, most hotels have “walked back their pricing surge” (THE ATHLETIC, 4/22).
LASTING GAINS? YAHOO SPORTS’ Steven Goff wrote “soccer evangelists have been shouting to the heavens about this summer’s World Cup launching the sport into new horizons” in the U.S. However, there should be “genuine concern that growing negativity around the World Cup could not only temper the sport’s growth here but cause damage to its broader image.” The price of tickets as well as “exorbitant fees for parking and to board a bus or train to some stadiums seem to have already scared away many potential converts.” Beyond the local economic and fan-facing concerns, FIFA itself has “continued to generate controversy.” The “fear is the World Cup circus comes and goes without lasting gains.” No entity would “benefit more from the World Cup’s positive vibes than MLS, which has swelled to 30 teams in the U.S. and Canada, built stadiums and youth academies and watched club valuations climb.” Without the World Cup “strengthening the sport’s foundation in the U.S. and, by extension, broadening MLS’ appeal,” fans of the game will “continue turning first to the Premier League, Champions League and Mexico’s Liga MX.” Hedging on a “rising tide raises all ships,” the NWSL also has a “stake in this summer’s World Cup.” To “continue growing, though, it too needs the sport to join the mainstream” (YAHOO SPORTS, 4/21).
