Teams, tales and tips – a football fan's guide to Atlanta
Atlanta was an MLS success story waiting to happen. Attracting the highest average attendance in the league every non-pandemic year since the team’s foundation in 2017, Atlanta United played before an all-time record crowd of 73,019 when it won its first MLS Cup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium a year later.
More than that, extraordinary enough considering Atlanta was not an MLS city for the league’s first two decades, it was not a World Cup 1994 venue and it didn’t even host any matches for the Olympics staged right here in 1996. Now, Atlanta has become the home of US soccer, with the opening of a national training centre in nearby Fayetteville.
Under Arthur Blank, the entrepreneur who has steered United and Mercedes-Benz Stadium to the forefront of the game in the States, the superb training facilities he built and the groundswell of support his team has generated have led to the US Soccer Federation to move its base from Chicago to Atlanta.
Logistic also helps. Atlanta, built as a transport hub in the railroad era, is home to the world’s busiest airport, as well as huge multinationals – Coca-Cola, The Home Depot – whose sponsorship dollars find their way into sport.
Its air-conditioned stadium, arguably the most fan-friendly of all 11 co-hosting in America this summer, sits in the heart of Atlanta, surrounded by decent bars and restaurants.
If vintage shirts are your thing, head to Rare & Retro Soccer of Atlanta, 401 Moreland Ave NE, where classic tops from across MLS, the UK, Europe and South America are stocked at a roadside outlet right by the sport-focused Brewhouse Café.
Scheduled for 18 days of the tournament, the Fan Festival takes place at Centennial Olympic Park, 30 years after it staged the Olympics.
Getting HERE
Arriving in town and city transport
Hartsfield–Jackson International Atlanta is ten miles (16km) south of Downtown Atlanta, with its own station on the city’s MARTA rapid transit system of rail and buses. This is located in the Domestic Terminal, between the North and South baggage claim areas. A free shuttle links with the International Terminal, journey time 15mins. To use MARTA, you’ll need a Breeze Card ($2), from vending machines and MARTA RideStores at stations and major crossing points, as well as the MARTA On the Go App https://itsmarta.com/the-marta-app.aspx.
A regular fare ($2.50) entitles you to four free transfers within a three-hour period, so you can get into town, check into your hotel and get to the stadium. You can also use your Breeze Card for the Atlanta Streetcar ($1, no transfers onto buses or rail).
The Airport Station is at the southern terminus of the Red and Gold Lines, directly linked with Five Points in the center, 20mins away. The stadium is served by two stations on the Green and Blue Lines: GWCC/Philips Arena/CNN Center and Vine City.
The first is the preferred option and closest to Gates 2-4 on the east side of the stadium; the second to is nearest Gate 1 via a Pedestrian Bridge over Northside Drive on the west side of the stadium.
From the airport, you’ll find taxicabs at the Domestic Terminal between Doors W-1 and W-2, and at the International Terminal outside the A-1 Door. The standard fare to Atlanta Downtown is around $35-$40. Yellow Cab of Atlanta (+1 678-755-8330) is as good as any.
Where to Drink
The best pubs and bars for football fans
Mercedes-Benz Stadium is surrounded by recommendable bars and restaurants, right in the city centre and close to major hotels.
Further afield, ‘Atlanta’s ultimate soccer & sports pub’ predates United by two decades – the proudly independent Brewhouse Café has been showing matches, and serving fine food and drinks in the Little Five Points neighbourhood north-east of Downtown since 1997.
Today, games are shown on 25 screens, matching the number of ales, lagers, and ciders on tap, including local Three Taverns Rotsting and Scofflaw Basement IPA, and Terrapin Hopsicutioner from nearby Athens, each brew available by the pint and pitcher. Brunch includes cocktails and the beer garden comes into its own in summer.
Close by, Hudson Grille is one of six such sports bars in the Atlanta area, known for its wings, ribs and weekday offers. Don’t miss the seasonal beers on tap.
Set in the greenery of Piedmont Park, brew pub and sports bar Park Tavern fills a former stables and golf clubhouse dating back to the early 1900s. It’s also a major live music venue.
Meehan’s serves Guinness, Smithwick’s, bangers & mash, and fish & chips where Macy’s department store used to stock clothes, shoes and accessories, right by Peachtree Center Station. Opened in 2002, it has since spawned three stablemates, all with TV sport.
The other other major local Irish chain, Fadó (‘Long Ago’ in Gaelic) at 933 Peachtree Street NE, brings the genre into the 21st century by obtaining its cod from sustainable sources and offering international beers. Branches can be found in Chicago, Columbus, Philadelphia and the Buckhead district of Atlanta.
