{"690735":{"#nid":"690735","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Atlanta\u2019s World Cup Beyond the Hype","body":[{"value":"\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe four things to know:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e92b51cd2ec612499b756351e5480bb27\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIt\u2019s not about exposure anymore.\u003C\/strong\u003E Atlanta is already a global city, so the focus is on whether the World Cup delivers lasting value for residents.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e95a356753ccab3041b43cd0aee75e0c5\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEconomic impact is uneven.\u003C\/strong\u003E Big headline numbers do not show who actually benefits, and much of the spending may not reach local communities.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022e192ee39142326916d971c3083b6337b3\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EInfrastructure will be tested.\u003C\/strong\u003E Transportation and downtown systems will face heavy strain, raising concerns about what improvements last beyond the event.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003Cli data-list-item-id=\u0022ec674ae8213efc1dbf5cad605f912e402\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe hidden story is food and logistics.\u003C\/strong\u003E Behind the scenes, Georgia Tech researchers are working to reduce food waste and strengthen systems that could outlast the tournament.\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA Global Stage and Familiar Promises\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs Atlanta welcomes the world for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the promises are familiar: millions of visitors, global attention, economic growth, and a chance to showcase the city on one of the biggest stages in sports.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut Georgia Tech experts say the real question is not whether the tournament will generate activity \u2014 it is who benefits from it and what remains after the final match is played.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EFrom Visibility to Value\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMega-events have long been sold as catalysts for transformation. The 1996 Olympics reshaped Atlanta\u2019s physical landscape and helped position the city as a global destination. Thirty years later, the World Cup arrives at a very different moment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere are similarities,\u201d said\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/planning.gatech.edu\/people\/emily-barrett\u0022\u003EEmily Barrett\u003C\/a\u003E, assistant professor in the School of City and Regional Planning. \u201cLike the Olympics, the World Cup is an accelerator for infrastructure upgrades and public and private investment alike.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAtlanta is seeing significant public investment in transportation improvements and billions of dollars in private development downtown. But today\u2019s Atlanta is very different from Atlanta in the 1990s.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAtlanta is no longer a city seeking recognition on the world stage,\u201d Barrett said. \u201cWe are a thriving and growing city.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat shifts the conversation from visibility to value.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe open question is whether hosting mega-events makes the city work better for the people who live here,\u201d Barrett added.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Economics Behind the Headlines\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAssessing that value becomes more complicated when economic forecasts enter the conversation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELarge projections often dominate headlines, but\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hsoc.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/8e6ac738-7497-5f94-ab1a-0c3fd32d15a7\u0022\u003EDeclan Abernethy\u003C\/a\u003E, lecturer in the School of History and Sociology, cautions that economic impact estimates rarely tell the whole story.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt is far easier to put out an economic impact projection compared to the difficulty of measuring impact,\u201d Abernethy said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhile visitors will spend money on hotels, restaurants, transportation, and entertainment, he notes that much of that spending may not reach the community.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen we look closely at that spending, we can see that much of the profit will be taken in by large corporations or FIFA in the immediate vicinity of Mercedes-Benz Stadium and not as much by Atlanta residents or small businesses,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Barrett, economic studies often overlook a critical question: What could alternative investments have accomplished?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEconomic studies rarely account for displacement costs, or whether the same public dollars could have generated similar or better outcomes if invested elsewhere,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPressure Points Across the City\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe World Cup\u2019s impact extends beyond economics; it will also test Atlanta\u2019s infrastructure at a scale few events can match.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ce.gatech.edu\/directory\/person\/michael-p-hunter\u0022\u003EMichael Hunter\u003C\/a\u003E, professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, says the biggest challenge may be the volume of people moving through the city.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere will be a number of pressure points. However, one of the most significant will be just the number of people,\u201d Hunter said. \u201cThis event will attract significant crowds.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAtlanta\u2019s transportation agencies have spent years preparing, drawing on lessons learned from events including the Super Bowl, World Series, and major concerts. Still, capacity limits are unavoidable.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere is only so much traffic that MARTA or any transit agency can handle,\u201d Hunter said. \u201cPeople need to understand that there will be congestion and longer wait times. The key is to be patient.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe concern is whether those investments result in lasting improvements or merely support a few weeks of activity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAbernethy argues that the World Cup should be viewed as part of a broader vision for Atlanta rather than a standalone catalyst.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe are seeing the World Cup as a part of a longer-running and more cohesive vision for sport and economic development downtown,\u201d he said. \u201cAtlanta may not be repeating the same cycle nor cracking downtown\u2019s development problem with the World Cup itself.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBehind the Scenes: Food and Logistics\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInfrastructure challenges extend beyond transportation. Feeding hundreds of thousands of visitors while minimizing waste requires its own network of logistics, coordination, and planning.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/people\/nicole-kennard\u0022\u003ENicole Kennard\u003C\/a\u003E, a research scientist at Georgia Tech\u2019s Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems, views the tournament as an opportunity to strengthen how food moves throughout the city.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThese large events are a really big opportunity for us to coordinate and test our infrastructure,\u201d Kennard said. \u201cWe have to think critically about how to improve the infrastructure and ensure its resilience and efficiency.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWorking with organizations such as Second Helpings Atlanta,\u0026nbsp;the official food rescue partner for the World Cup, Georgia Tech researchers\u0026nbsp;are building technologies and tools to improve coordination among food rescue groups.\u0026nbsp;The effort aims to\u0026nbsp;keep surplus food out of landfills by quickly moving it from stadiums and vendors to local food organizations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s really a logistics problem, a data problem, and a coordination problem,\u201d Kennard said. \u201cThe faster you can move food from the point of surplus directly to a pantry, the more likely it is to reach people who need it.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat Legacy Looks Like\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUltimately, Atlanta\u2019s World Cup legacy may not be measured by attendance figures or visitor spending alone.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cHow we evaluate success depends on what we choose to measure, and too often we focus on headline numbers instead of who actually benefits,\u201d said Abernethy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKennard sees the tournament as a chance to build systems that outlast the event itself. \u201cWhat we build for the World Cup could become critical infrastructure for future emergencies and disasters,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAtlanta already knows how to host a global event. Whether the investments, partnerships, and infrastructure created for the World Cup leave the city stronger after the crowds leave remains to be seen.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAtlanta already has global credibility, so the real question surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup is not exposure but lasting impact. Georgia Tech experts warn that big economic projections often obscure who actually benefits, with much of the revenue likely flowing to large corporations and FIFA rather than local businesses and residents. Transportation infrastructure will face significant strain, and whether World Cup investments produce permanent improvements or simply support a few weeks of activity remains uncertain. One bright spot is a Georgia Tech partnership with Second Helpings Atlanta to build food rescue systems that could outlast the tournament and serve the city for years to come.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech experts say the 2026 World Cup will bring global attention and economic activity, but the real measure of success is who benefits and what lasting impact the tournament leaves behind."}],"uid":"35798","created_gmt":"2026-06-12 00:15:09","changed_gmt":"2026-06-12 15:09:02","author":"Ayana Isles","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-06-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-06-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"680455":{"id":"680455","type":"image","title":"World Cup in Atlanta","body":null,"created":"1781232926","gmt_created":"2026-06-12 02:55:26","changed":"1781233217","gmt_changed":"2026-06-12 03:00:17","alt":"Drone photo of FIFA decorated Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta Georgia","file":{"fid":"264717","name":"AdobeStock_2038968132_Editorial_Use_Only.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/06\/11\/AdobeStock_2038968132_Editorial_Use_Only.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/06\/11\/AdobeStock_2038968132_Editorial_Use_Only.png","mime":"image\/png","size":29696386,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/06\/11\/AdobeStock_2038968132_Editorial_Use_Only.png?itok=PGdi97nU"}}},"media_ids":["680455"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/world-cup-experts","title":"World Cup Experts"},{"url":"https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/features\/2026\/06\/how-world-cup-reshaping-downtown-atlanta","title":"Generating Buzz: How the World Cup Is Reshaping Downtown Atlanta"},{"url":"https:\/\/news.gatech.edu\/features\/2026\/05\/world-cup-puts-atlanta-back-global-spotlight","title":"Generating Buzz: World Cup Puts Atlanta Back in Global Spotlight"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"142","name":"City Planning, Transportation, and Urban Growth"},{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"}],"keywords":[{"id":"195176","name":"World Cup economic impact"},{"id":"195177","name":"World Cup Atlanta"},{"id":"174223","name":"food waste"},{"id":"172","name":"infrastructure"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:aisles3@gatech.edu\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAyana Isles\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003ESenior Media Relations Representative\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/div\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}