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Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
There have been four FIFA World Cup matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta. And the attendance, more than 270,000 people in total, has been impressive. That said, the free FIFA Fan Festivals that have taken place at Centennial Olympic Park have been even more impressive. There have been 11 days of FIFA World Cup watch parties in the park, and more than 275,000 people have taken advantage of the opportunity to share in the celebration that is the World Cup.
After 10 days of soccer madness, the FIFA Fan Fests in Atlanta have the highest attendance among their brethren across the United States. That includes soccer hotbeds like Kansas City, where large, boisterous crowds have been broadcast on Fox and FS1.
Even though Fan Fest tickets are free, and that can lead to big crowds, there is plenty of room for fans to set up blankets and chairs for a match-watching experience. On Thursday, June 25, the park was full of United States Men’s National Team supporters looking to watch the Red, White, and Blue close out the group stage with an undefeated record. The U.S. didn’t win (a 3-2 loss to Turkiye), but they have advanced to the knockout stage of the tournament and have a chance to win the World Cup, like Mexico, Canada, Spain, Brazil, and other teams.
On Friday, fans watched France and Ousmane Dembele (three first-half goals) defeat Norway 4-1. The match began this afternoon, and temperatures in Atlanta were nearing 90 degrees, but that didn’t stop thousands of fans from watching on the lawn and in the shade of the trees.
Similar watch parties are taking place throughout Metro Atlanta, including at The Battery, where soccer fans are experiencing the World Cup on the Plaza Green in the shadow of the Atlanta Braves’ home turf, Truist Park. But soccer fans are flooding into Centennial Olympic Park. There are three more weeks of World Cup soccer to play and four more matches taking place in Atlanta.
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