How Georgia’s economy drew the World Cup—and how the World Cup will strengthen Georgia’s economy

It’s the $1 billion dollar question: What prompted FIFA to choose Atlanta as one of the host cities for this summer’s FIFA World Cup 2026™? The answer is the same one that lures companies from all over the world to Georgia: the state’s robust economy, strong infrastructure, and cooperative culture.

Since the Olympics, Georgia has positioned itself as the Gateway to the South for global business. It has built a diverse industry base in fields such as agriculture, manufacturing, logistics, film and television, technology, and aerospace. Direct foreign investment is strong here: Atlanta is home to more than 70 foreign consulates, trade missions, and bi-national chambers of commerce.

One of Georgia’s biggest assets is global connectivity—by air, rail, road, and waterways, says Pat Wilson, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Eighty percent of the U.S. population is within a two-hour direct flight from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world’s busiest passenger hub. Georgia’s interstate system provides 20,000 miles of federal and state highways, and the Port of Savannah is the fastest-growing container terminal on the East Coast. All of this allows sports fans, foreign dignitaries, and corporate executives to get in and out of Atlanta very easily. “And business follows connectivity,” Wilson says.

These factors, combined with Georgia’s long history of cooperation between the private and public sectors, helped seal its position as a host city. And that, in turn, will pay dividends.

Courtesy of Georgia Ports Authority

Courtesy of Stone Mountain

Photograph by GenePage/ AMC

Take, for example, tourism. Explore Georgia, the state’s tourism arm, is betting big that FIFA World Cup 2026™ could potentially catapult the state’s visitor numbers to unprecedented levels. To maximize the possibilities, it has launched a global marketing campaign in conjunction with the tournament, including ads on stadium and railway-station billboards in the United Kingdom. “We want visitors to make Georgia their home-away-from-home during the World Cup,” Wilson says.

Katie Kirkpatrick, president and CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, is similarly bullish. Much like after the Olympics 30 years ago, she expects the city and state to leverage the global soccer tournament’s effects for decades to come. Economic-impact estimates range from $500 million to over $1 billion. “Atlanta does ‘big’ well,” she says. “And I’m confident that we will see increased foreign direct investment and show the world once again that here in Georgia, business culture and innovation naturally converge.”

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