Underground Atlanta flips the switch on its World Cup era this week. Starting Friday, June 12, the Five Points landmark begins its run as an official FIFA Watch Party venue, debuting a transformed Upper Alabama Street with large screens, a performance stage, stadium-style seating and downtown's newest futsal pitch.
Crews have been reshaping the open-air stretch of Upper Alabama since January, per Urbanize Atlanta. The refresh layers in modular stadium seating, overhead shade structures, local vendor pop-ups, outdoor games and new furniture with drink rails and bistro seating — plus artificial turf for a street-level futsal pitch in the heart of the city.
An official place to watch
The timing could hardly be better. Friday is also the day the USMNT opens its home World Cup against Paraguay at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and Underground's designation as an official FIFA Watch Party venue gives downtown a fan hub steps from Five Points station — and an easy landing spot before or after a trip to the city's official FIFA Fan Festival. From Friday on, Underground says it plans nonstop events geared toward soccer, culture, art and community.
Futsal comes to Alabama Street
The new artificial-turf pitch will host the 5 Points Cup, a three-on-three street futsal tournament played right on Upper Alabama, as reported by Rough Draft Atlanta. Tournament dates have not been published yet — we'll update this story when the schedule drops.
New eats, backed by city dollars
The food lineup is growing alongside the fan zone. Underground Diner opened Saturday in the former Dancin' Crepe space, joining Utopia, the Latin fusion spot that debuted in April 2025. A $925,000 Invest Atlanta grant approved in April funded the public infrastructure work, small-business improvements and the diner's buildout.
Built to last beyond the tournament
For ownership, the work is meant to outlast the World Cup. The Upper Alabama refresh "is about more than temporary activation—it's reimagining how this space can serve the city at scale," Lalani Ventures CEO Shaneel Lalani said in announcing the launch, per Urbanize. Mayor Andre Dickens struck a similar note, saying the improvements "not only position [downtown] to shine on the global stage this summer, but also contribute to long-term economic vitality and year-round community engagement."
The World Cup glow-up joins a string of recent Underground wins, including the massive Ravine music venue, MJQ Concourse's move into the property's depths and a growing roster of food-and-drink concepts remaking the historic complex. For the coming weeks, though, the main event is simple: the world's game, watched in the middle of downtown Atlanta.
Source: Urbanize Atlanta (Josh Green, June 9, 2026).