2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup Countdown
In the third edition of our series highlighting 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup host markets, we’re putting Atlanta – host of eight games, including a semifinal – under the microscope. Whether you’re a marketer, a brand, or just a fan, we’ve gathered a sampling of insights to help you capitalize on Atlanta World Cup soccer interest.
Market Overview
Before we dive into soccer-specific info, let’s start with a snapshot of the demographics of the Atlanta metro area in comparison to the rest of the United States. Below are insights into population, age, race, family size, education, and income via the U.S. Census Bureau.
| Category | United States | Atlanta |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 334,914,895 | 499,127 |
| Persons <18 years old | 21.7% | 17.2% |
| Persons 65+ years old | 17.3% | 12.0% |
| White, alone | 75.5% | 40.8% |
| Black, alone | 13.6% | 47.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 19.1% | 5.4% |
| Persons in HH | 2.57 | 2.03 |
| Language other than English spoken by age 5+ | 21.7% | 11.0% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 34.3% | 57.3% |
| Median HH income | $75,149 | $77,655 |
The Atlanta DMA is the 10th-ranked DMA with nearly 2.5 million TV households, accounting for 2.10% of all U.S. TV households. For comparison sake, here the DMAs that surround Atlanta:
- 8. Houston – 2.5 million (2.14%)
- 9. Boston (Manchester) – 2.4 million (2.11%)
- 10. Atlanta – 2.4 million (2.10%)
- 11. Tampa-St. Petersburg (Sarasota) – 1.9 million (1.66%)
- 12. Phoenix (Prescott) – 1.89 million (1.65%)
Noteworthy for the FIFA World Cup – FOX has an owned and operated local station, WAGA-TV, serving the Atlanta area, while Telemundo has an affiliate station in Norcross (WKTB).
WORLD CUP HOST CITY INSIGHTS – SEATTLE
Like what you’re reading and want to see more? We’ve got the same insights for Seattle – the second market for which we did a deep dive ahead of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup.
Soccer interest in Atlanta
Using 2023 data from the U.S. Census, MRI-Simmons, and Esri’s Market Potential Index, below is a table illustrating the percent of the DMA’s population who participated or is likely to participate in several soccer-specific categories. Also included are the respective indexes, highlighting the amount the DMA over-indexes relative to the general U.S. population.
| Category | % of Population | Index |
|---|---|---|
| Participated in Soccer/12 Mo | 2.82% | 112 |
| Watch World Cup Soccer | 4.78% | 111 |
| Watch International Soccer | 5.18% | 111 |
| Watch the U.S. Men's National Team | 3.27% | 114 |
| Watch the U.S. Women's National Team | 3.07% | 112 |
| Watch MLS | 4.32% | 111 |
Putting Atlanta-Area Zip Codes under the soccer microscope
With background on the DMA and the relationship of its residents to soccer, let’s now combine the two and dive a bit deeper by identifying key zip codes with residents who over-index in soccer-specific engagements.
United States of Soccer
Soccer’s time has come. To grasp the impact the World Cup will have, you must first get to know the American fans and their passion for the sport. Soccer isn’t a trend — it’s here to stay and it’s growing fast. Our report goes deep into the American soccer audience, shedding light on its demographics, characteristics, and the factors that most shape fandom.
Using similar data referenced above, below is a map of the Atlanta DMA that highlights specific zip codes meeting the following criteria:
- Over-index in participating in soccer in the last 12 months
- Over-index in likely demand for watching the World Cup on TV
Of the 544 zip codes within the DMA, 84 (15%) meet the above criteria. Notably, all but four are within 50 miles of Mercedes Benz Stadium – home of eight games of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, including a semifinal.
Curious which individual zip codes over-index most in both criteria? Check out the scatter plot graph below for more insight.
For ease of sorting and discovery, here are the top 20 zip codes for each.
| Zip Code | 2023 Participated in Soccer/12 Mo (Index) |
|---|---|
| 30093 (Norcross) | 198 |
| 30071 (Norcross) | 197 |
| 30360 (Atlanta) | 187 |
| 30021 (Clarkston) | 183 |
| 30099 (Duluth) | 163 |
| 30168 (Austell) | 163 |
| 30340 (Atlanta) | 161 |
| 30060 (Marietta) | 158 |
| 30507 (Gainesville) | 150 |
| 30504 (Gainesville) | 148 |
| 30721 (Dalton) | 148 |
| 30341 (Atlanta) | 145 |
| 30079 (Scottdale) | 144 |
| 30291 (Union City) | 143 |
| 30080 (Smyrna) | 142 |
| 30008 (Marietta) | 141 |
| 30329 (Atlanta) | 141 |
| 30297 (Forest Park) | 140 |
| 30046 (Lawrenceville) | 137 |
| 30096 (Duluth) | 136 |
| Zip Code | 2023 Watch World Cup Soccer (Index) |
|---|---|
| 30021 (Clarkston) | 160 |
| 30168 (Austell) | 146 |
| 30340 (Atlanta) | 142 |
| 30093 (Norcross) | 140 |
| 30291 (Union City) | 139 |
| 30071 (Norcross) | 137 |
| 30360 (Atlanta) | 136 |
| 30607 (Athens) | 133 |
| 30297 (Forest Park) | 131 |
| 30306 (Atlanta) | 131 |
| 30060 (Marietta) | 130 |
| 30079 (Scottdale) | 130 |
| 30044 (Lawrenceville) | 130 |
| 30346 (Atlanta) | 127 |
| 30363 (Atlanta) | 127 |
| 30309 (Atlanta) | 127 |
| 30008 (Marietta) | 126 |
| 30342 (Atlanta) | 125 |
| 30319 (Atlanta) | 125 |
| 30307 (Atlanta) | 125 |
Searching for “2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup“
We’ve still got some time before the tournament kicks off in June of 2026, but it’s interesting to note the search volume trends within the Atlanta area. Below is the volume of Google searches for “2026 FIFA World Cup” since January 1, 2022.
Three notable spikes in searches are in June 2022, November-December 2022, and February 2024. The first period occurred when FIFA announced the host markets for the 2026 tournament. The second period is during the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup when searches were likely increased due, in part, to preview discussions around 2026. And the third search volume increase occurred when FIFA announced the game allocations and schedule for host cities.
Note: the embedded graph will not populate if you use Safari as your browser. To view the graph, click here.