ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and other city leaders are expected to gather in downtown Atlanta Wednesday to share plans aimed at helping visitors and residents safely enjoy FIFA World Cup events in the city.

Ahead of the press conference, Dickens spoke about safety concerns, and MARTA announced its planned changes for the FIFA World Cup on Tuesday afternoon.

MARTA’s safety plan announcement comes less than a week before Spain and Cape Verde are set to face each other inside Atlanta Stadium.

It also comes during a violent stretch for MARTA, with a shooting last week and two stabbings, one of them deadly, more than 10 days ago.

MARTA is under a federal investigation following those incidents.

“A lot happened in a short amount of time and it’s time for us to show the world that they can course-correct,” Dickens said Tuesday.

Dickens said the recent incidents have put new pressure on MARTA as the region prepares for an influx of riders heading to matches and related events.

“This is go time. So MARTA is going to step up big, I think, to make sure they meet the moment. I am optimistic about what has occurred over the last couple of weeks has really lit a fire for MARTA that they will be able to meet this moment,” Dickens said.

MARTA has shared a safety plan it says will begin Thursday, June 11.

Under the plan, MARTA Police will work 10- to 12-hour shifts, six days a week, patrolling trains, stations, buses, bus transfer hubs and parking lots. MARTA also says its Real Time Crime Center will monitor the system around the clock through a network of cameras.

The agency says officers will also be stationed in a Mobile Command Vehicle positioned at key locations, and MARTA’s Emergency Operations Center will be activated for match and fan fest days.

MARTA said other changes are aimed at reducing crowding at stations on match and fan fest days, including trains running every five minutes to shorten wait times.

The agency also plans to keep at least 30 buses on standby and use special shuttle trains near Atlanta Stadium to handle ridership surges, while urging riders to spread out by using multiple downtown stations such as SEC District, Vine City and Peachtree Center.

MARTA has also launched a new safety feature in its transit app: integrated incident reporting that allows riders to report safety concerns in real time without needing the standalone “See & Say” app.

Some riders said the changes should have come sooner.

“Y’all are going to do it for some people coming across? What about the people of Atlanta?” MARTA rider Michael James said.

Other riders welcomed the update, calling it “much better” and saying it was “a good addition” with a “simple display.”

Meanwhile, James questioned how effective an app can be in a fast-moving emergency.

“I mean, you talking about an app, by the time you get to the phone, you’re already stabbed to death,” he said. “How am I getting stabbed and I’m looking for a phone?”

The eyes of the world will be on the United States, Canada and Mexico as the three countries are just days away from hosting the FIFA 2026 World Cup.

While soccer has billions of fans worldwide, there are plenty of Americans (and others) who may be turning the sport on the for the very first time.

Worried about keeping up with the matches this summer? Here’s what to know about World Cup matches as the tournament begins.

How long is a World Cup match?

Matches are scheduled for 90 minutes, a typical regulation length. However, just like in professional matches, referees can add “stoppage time” to the end of each half to account for the amount of time play was stopped for substitutions, goals, injuries and other interference.

The match is played in two, 45-minute halves with a 15 minute halftime. Typical matches last around 100 minutes once additional time is added.

However, during the knock-out stage of the tournament (after the group stages), if there is a tie at the end of regulation and additional stoppage time, then the match will go to “extra time,” similar overtime in American football.

An additional 30 minutes is put on the clock in two, 15-minute halves. If it is still tied after extra time, then the match goes to a penalty shootout, which means each team will send a player to try and score on the goalie one-on-one. This can add an additional 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how many shootout rounds there are to finally declare a winner.

How many players are on the field?

There are 22 players on the field at any given time, 11 from each team. This includes 10 outfielders and one goalie on either side of the field.

Each team will typically keep 26 players on their roster because coaches are able to make substitutions throughout the game. A player may get injured, tired or a coach may just want to switch up strategy and replaces one player on the field with one from the bench. Each team is allowed five substitutions per match, plus an extra substitution if the match goes into extra time.

What are common penalties? What is a penalty kick?

Like any sport, soccer has a set of rules that help the game keep moving and prevent players from interfering with the ball. Soccer players are unable to touch the ball with their hands or arms, and if they do it earns them a handball penalty.

Other common soccer penalties include tripping, kicking, holding or pulling jerseys, pushing or charging players, and dangerous plays like high kicks or kicking near another player’s head.

If a player is hit with a penalty, the other team will get a penalty kick. This means the ball will be placed at a specific spot, depending on the penalty, and the non-penalty team will get to kick the ball off again to a teammate, typically close to the goal.

What are yellow and red cards?

Some penalties are worse than others, and they can earn yellow or red cards for players.

For more severe penalties, or “reckless fouls,” players will be issued a yellow card. This includes deliberately wasting time, persistently breaking rules, trying to trick the referees or unsportsmanlike behavior. Warnings to players are typically issued before a yellow card is called. If a player receives two yellow cards in a match, it leads to a red card.

A red card issued to a player means they are ejected from the match and can not come back. It also means another player cannot join the field in their place, so a match could become 11-on-10. In extreme cases, like intentionally punching another player, a referee can go straight to a red card and eject a player from the match.

How many teams are playing in the World Cup?

For the first time, the World Cup tournament has been expanded to 48 teams from around the world.

These teams are divided into 12 groups of four teams for the group stage matches. These matches are not elimination rounds, and teams will play in multiple matches during this stage against the other teams in their groups.

The United States, for example, is in Group D with Paraguay, Australia and Turkey. The team plays their first match on June 12 against Paraguay. No matter the outcome of that match, the United States will play again on June 19 against Australia. The U.S. team plays Turkey on June 25 to round out the group stage.

Then, from the results of the group stage, 32 teams will make it to the elimination rounds. The winners of those matches will play in the round of 16. There will then be four quarterfinal matches, two semifinal matches and a match for third place, and one World Cup Final played on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium.

In total, there will be 104 matches played between June 11 and July 19 across three countries.

When are the World Cup matches in Atlanta?

Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta Stadium) will host five group stage matches, a round of 32 match, a round of 16 match and one of the tournament’s semifinal match.

• Monday, June 15 — Spain vs Cabo Verde, Group H – Shop tickets
• Thursday, June 18 — South Africa vs Czechia, Group A – Shop tickets
• Sunday, June 21 — Spain vs Saudi Arabia, Group H – Shop tickets
• Wednesday, June 24 — Morocco vs Haiti – Shop tickets
• Saturday, June 27 — Uzbekistan vs Congo, Group K – Shop tickets
• Wednesday, July 1 — Group L winners vs third place from Group E/H/I/J/K – Shop tickets
• Tuesday, July 7 — Match 86 winners vs Match 88 winners – Shop tickets
• Wednesday, July 15 — tournament semifinal, teams TBD – Shop tickets

The World Cup is over. Does Atlanta have a professional soccer team?

The end of the World Cup does not mean you have to turn off professional-level soccer in Atlanta.

Atlanta United, the city’s MLS team, paused their season with the rest of the league for the World Cup, but will pick back up again.

The MLS season resumes July 16 and 17, and the All-Star Game will be played on July 29. The end of the regular season is Nov. 7, with an international break, then playoffs will begin for the MLS Cup Final.

Irene Wright covers the FIFA World Cup as the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.

Georgia Tech researchers and Zoo Atlanta are innovating technology to keep elephants healthy and sharp.

Building on this innovation, Arianna Mastali, a Georgia Tech PhD student, is developing an interactive wall that produces sounds elephants typically hear in the wild. Mastali says elephants’ keen ears can hear low-frequency sounds, and that the sounds from the wall keep them mentally stimulated.

She explains, “In the wild, they sometimes communicate through those low frequencies by being able to feel the vibrations and their feet,” Mastali said. “And that’s how they can communicate over long distances. Because of that, we wanted to avoid using any natural elephant sounds in our enrichment. And we specifically chose just basic low tones so that we weren’t interfering or potentially saying anything that could be confusing for the elephants.”

In comparison to other zoos, which have similar enrichment walls, the audio features in this one set it apart. Kirby Miller, Zoo Atlanta’s senior elephant care specialist, is working with Mastali to develop the system.

Describing how the features are tailored, Miller said, “It depends on what behavior we’re trying to elicit. So [if] we want trunk manipulation, object interaction, something sensory, so we can switch that out depending on what it is to keep it novel for them. So, that just keeps them stimulated and keeps their day really interesting.”

As a result of these efforts, the zoo says the elephants have doubled their time at the wall.

Looking ahead, Mastali said, “At this point, we are working towards taking things and removing them from the wall and using a camera with computer vision so that we don’t have to worry about wear and tear long term, or potentially elephants trying to break it. And we are in the process of trying to develop our algorithm to be more accurate in detecting whenever a trunk is present at one of these holes, so we can provide that sound enrichment to them long-term.”

Miller highlights the impact on the caretakers: “It’s been really great for us,” Miller said. “This is a type of enrichment that we can’t provide as caretakers. There’s only so much we can do. So having Arianna do that for us has been really great…”

Looking to the future, Mastali hopes the zoo’s care team can use the wall long after her research is finished.

She adds, “Over the next two years, I would say we are hoping to get something that works full-time, and we can make it so it’s usable for the animal care team to be able to use without our supervision.”

She hopes the interactive tech can be used to engage other zoo animals for years to come.