The confetti had barely settled on Atlanta's eight-match World Cup run before the city's civic and business leadership started chasing the next prize: the final of the 2031 Women's World Cup.
Speaking to reporters at halftime of Argentina's 2-1 semifinal win over England — the last World Cup match played downtown this summer — Falcons and Atlanta United owner Arthur Blank said FIFA President Gianni Infantino was thrilled with what Atlanta delivered and intends to return to discuss a deeper relationship between FIFA and the city. Blank, for his part, called the tournament a highlight of his life.
There is substance behind the glow. If FIFA accepts the United States' joint 2031 bid with Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica — a bid that currently faces no competition — Atlanta is in line to host the tournament's official draw ceremony. The larger ambition is the final itself.
Capacity is the sticking point. Mercedes-Benz Stadium, temporarily rebranded Atlanta Stadium for the tournament, held 68,239 per match in its World Cup configuration and drew roughly 545,000 fans across its eight games. Infantino has quipped that another 20,000 seats would help Atlanta's case against bigger buildings like New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, which seats more than 80,000 and hosts this year's final — despite being ranked the tournament's worst venue by The Athletic, while Atlanta's was widely rated its best. U.S. Soccer Federation CEO JT Batson has said there is no reason Atlanta shouldn't be front and center for 2031, and Atlanta Sports Council President Dan Corso points to the city's sports résumé as a closing argument.
The smooth run was not an accident. Roughly 3,100 logos were covered inside the stadium to satisfy FIFA's commercial rules — only the Mercedes-Benz emblem on the roof proved impractical to remove — while streets were repaved, murals painted and a new security footprint drawn around the venue. Brian McGowan, who leads the Centennial Yards development across the street, credited the city's execution on everything from street closures to the overall feel, and said the wildly popular fan festival in Centennial Olympic Park proved to business leaders that downtown can carry an event of this scale.
Blank is already looking past 2031: he wants Atlanta in the mix for the 2038 men's World Cup, too. Downtown, it turns out, is fluent in thinking decades ahead.
Original reporting: Atlanta Business Chronicle (2026-07-15)