Atlanta, GA
Atlanta gears up to host 2026 World Cup matches
ATLANTA — Thirty years after hosting the 1996 Summer Olympics, Atlanta will again have the world stage.
Eight soccer matches of the 2026 World Cup, including a semifinal, will be played in Atlanta. The dates are set for June and July 2026.
“It was a home run,” said Dan Corso, the president of the Atlanta Sports Council. “You could not get a better result for our community, for our state, to have eight matches and a semifinal included in those eight matches.”
It all began in 2017, when North America put in a bid to host the 2026 World Cup.
A year later, FIFA awarded the bid to the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
In 2022, Atlanta learned that it would host part of the soccer tournament, but it wasn’t until over the weekend that the city found out how many matches will be played here.
Atlanta is one of 16 cities in North America hosting what is the signature event of the world’s most popular sport.
Corso said Atlanta is primed to host a world-class sporting event this.
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“We’re on global stage every day,” he said. “We’re an international city. We’ve got an airport that connects us to the world. We’ve got corporations and brands that call Atlanta home that are global businesses.”
The dates for the matches in Atlanta are June 15, June 18, June 21, June 24, June 27, July 1 and July 7, with the semifinal scheduled for July 15.
Tickets are expected to go on sale in September 2025. Corso compares it to hosting eight Super Bowls in the span of a month.
He said Atlanta has a top-tier venue with Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which will host the matches.
“It starts with Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which is the premier venue in the world,” he said. “It’s built for soccer – for international soccer, which is very important – and they’ve got one of the best franchises in all of soccer playing in it.”
He’s referring to Atlanta United, owned by Arthur M. Blank, who released a written statement Sunday, saying:
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 brings people together in a way that transcends borders and makes this tournament an unforgettable journey for fans globally.”
Corso said now the work begins to prepare the stadium and the city for this international event.
Grass, for example, will be put down in the stadium in early 2026.
“FIFA is very engaged with us and other cities in the planning,” he said. “They’ll be very involved in it, so we’ll work closely with them, and we’ll also find opportunities to work with other cities.”
He said it’s hard to put a dollar estimate on the economic impact the matches will have on metro Atlanta.
Much of that, he said, will depend on the countries that will compete in the city.
“We obviously hope the U.S. national team makes it here,” he said.
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Atlanta, GA
2 arrested in deadly drive-by shooting of 7-year-old Atlanta girl, police say
Two suspects in a shooting that left a 7-year-old Atlanta girl dead and her mother injured are now in custody nearly a week after the violence, police say.
The shooting happened around 9:45 p.m. on Feb. 24 at a home on the 2200 block of Tiger Flowers Drive NW.
Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from a dispute between one of the victim’s family members and the gunman over the phone. Thirty minutes after the argument, the suspect came back and fired shots into the home, police said.
Officers responding to the scene found a 44-year-old woman and her daughter, identified as 7-year-old Zoe Price, shot. Medics rushed the pair to a local hospital, but Price died from her injuries.
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said the department’s homicide unit secured an arrest warrant for 19-year-old Preston Smith two days after the shooting. Smith turned himself in to the Fulton County Jail on March 2.
Schierbaum said officers executed a search warrant on Feb. 27 at a home on McDaniel Street. On that day, 17-year-old Steven Richardson, who police described as an “accomplice,” turned himself in to authorities.
Both men are charged with murder, criminal attempt to commit murder, three counts of aggravated assault, second-degree criminal damage to property, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and four counts of third-degree cruelty to children. Richardson is also charged with possession of a Firearm by a Person Under 18.
At a press conference to announce the arrests, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens described Price as a bright and compassionate little girl who was “full of energy and full of joy.”
“Her life was cut short in an act of senseless violence, and that loss is not abstract. It is a chair that is going to be missing at the dinner table each night. It is an empty classroom seat next to her friends,” Dickens said.
The mayor called the arrests “a step forward towards justice” for Price’s family and families across the city.
Dickens said that violence, like the act that took Price’s life, would not be tolerated in Atlanta.
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Braves News: Top 30 Prospects, Starting Pitching Depth, More
On Monday, the Braves were able to earn another Spring Training victory over the Detroit Tigers. It was a game where the starting pitching depth of the Braves was on full display, as Bryce Elder, Joey Wentz, and Owen Murphy all threw multiple innings. While it is likely unwise to expect big things from any of these three arms this season, they are a part of the “next man up” group for the Braves if injury again impacts the rotation. Each had a solid effort today, a trend that will hopefully continue.
Atlanta, GA
Luke Kornet calls on Atlanta Hawks to cancel ‘Magic City Monday’ promo
2026 NBA All-Star Game marks major positive step forward
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game takes a major positive step forward with real competition led by Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Edwards and rising stars.
An NBA player from an opposing team has called on the Atlanta Hawks to cancel their upcoming game promotion that revolves around celebrating a well-known local gentleman’s club.
San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet asked the Hawks to reconsider their “Magic City Monday” plans for a March 16 game against the Orlando Magic in a letter posted to Medium on Monday, March 2. Atlanta’s ownership group and front office recently touted the one-night collaboration as an ode to an “iconic cultural institution,” citing Magic City’s role and impact in Atlanta’s Black communities and hip-hop culture in the announcement.
But Kornet wrote that “the Hawks failed to acknowledge that this place is, as the business itself boasts, ‘Atlanta’s premier strip club.’ “
“The NBA should desire to protect and esteem women, many of whom work diligently every day to make this the best basketball league in the world,” Kornet continued. “We should promote an atmosphere that is protective and respectful of the daughters, wives, sisters, mothers, and partners that we know and love.
“Allowing this night to go forward without protest would reflect poorly on us as an NBA community, specifically in being complicit in the potential objectification and mistreatment of women in our society.”
Magic City Kitchen is also slated to serve two versions of its “world famous” lemon pepper wings – Louwill Lemon Pepper BBQ – at the March 16 game. The flavor is named after three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year-winner, Lou Williams. Rapper T.I. is scheduled to perform at halftime and limited edition Magic City merchandise will be available to purchase at the game.
Magic City celebrated 40 years with a five-part STARZ docuseries, ‘Magic City: An American Fantasy,’ that was produced by Hawks principal owner Jami Gertz and Atlanta native Jermaine Dupri. Magic City founder Michael “Mr. Magic” Barney and T.I. are scheduled to record a live podcast from inside Atlanta’s State Farm Arena before the game.
Kornet, 30, hopes the Hawks and NBA officials listen to him instead.
“I’d like to encourage the league, its owners, employees and fans to hold the Atlanta Hawks to a higher standard of what they find worthy of promoting,” Kornet wrote. “I and others throughout the league were surprised by and object to the Hawks’ decision. We desire to provide an environment where fans of all ages can safely come and enjoy the game of basketball and where we can celebrate the history and culture of communities in good conscience. The celebration of a strip club is not conduct aligned with that vision.”
Luke Kornet stats
Kornet is averaging a career-best 7.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in his first season with the Spurs. This is the sixth team he’s played for in his nine NBA seasons, with his previous four years spent on the Boston Celtics.
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