Atlanta just finished hosting its fifth World Cup match — and the round of 32 awaits the city July 1, when England will face Congo.
What a couple of weeks this has been. Atlanta hasn’t yet hosted some of the usual superpowers outside Spain, but we’ve had quite a few intriguing storylines pass through our city during its first time hosting this event.
With five of our scheduled eight matches at Atlanta Stadium complete, here are some defining numbers and moments to remember thus far.
The results
June 15: Spain 0, Cape Verde 0
June 18: Czechia 1, South Africa 1
June 21: Spain 4, Saudi Arabia 0
June 24: Morocco 4, Haiti 2
June 27: Congo 3, Uzbekistan 1
That’s 16 goals over these matches (and 42 shots on goal total). They were largely competitive, with two draws and only one match decided by more than two goals (and that was the expected result for Spain over Saudi Arabia).
The attendance
Atlanta Stadium has hosted 339,799 fans through five matches. That’s around 67,960 attendees per match. Hundreds of thousands have also flooded the FIFA Fan Fest, earning Atlanta praise as observers from around the world see how well our city hosts major events.
All-time memorable firsts
History is made with each World Cup match, but Atlanta has been spoiled by the unprecedented.
First, Cape Verde played heavily favored Spain to a scoreless draw in its World Cup debut. It was perhaps the highlight of the past two weeks here and one of the most stunning results in World Cup history. It helped Cape Verde become the smallest nation to make the knockout round. Cape Verde has become the international underdog of great intrigue — and its path began here.
We later witnessed an iconic goal as Spain rebounded with its victory over Saudi Arabia. The 18-year-old wunderkind Lamine Yamal scored his first World Cup goal. Yamal is a prodigy, one who’s expected to become a figure synonymous with soccer throughout his career. And that means he’ll be among the most famous athletes in the world. His earliest signature moment at the World Cup will forever be tied to Atlanta.
Then, on Saturday, in our final match before the knockouts, we saw Congo — in just its second World Cup appearance, and first since 1974 — secure a spot in the round of 32 in Atlanta. What a celebration for the Congolese, whose excitement could be felt throughout downtown.
Earlier in the match, we saw Uzbekistan — another debutant — take its first-ever World Cup lead in the 10th minute. It didn’t result in a win, but the fans present enjoyed that highlight for their nation. Uzbekistan led 1-0 until the 68th minute.
The complaint
Not everything is going to be positive. Perhaps the most notable complaint from the competitors rolling through Atlanta came from South Africa coach Hugo Broos, who lauded Atlanta Stadium as a venue but said bluntly: “This is not a (soccer) stadium.” He acknowledged the stadium was visually appealing and well-suited for fans, but he said he couldn’t feel the atmosphere as he can in other venues. “I would rather play in a real stadium,” he said.
Up next
Atlanta will host England and Congo in the round of 32. England is sure to have a massive presence, but credit to Congo, too, as they took over Atlanta Stadium and downtown for their match Saturday. Atlanta will also host the round of 16 and semifinal, which is sure to bring another powerhouse down South (though there’s no path for it to be the United States’ national team after they won Group D).
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