Cobb County leaders outline World Cup role: base camps, watch parties and monthslong visitor window

Cobb County Commissioner Eric Allen and leaders of Cobb Travel and Tourism described how the county will support the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including base camps, approved watch-party activations and a coordinated visitor window spanning roughly June 15 through July 15.

"Overall, it'll kick off on June 11 and run through July 19," said Rachel Rogers, vice president of sports sales and engagement for Cobb Travel and Tourism, adding that Atlanta will host eight matches and that Cobb expects the majority of match-related visitation in a roughly 30-day window around match dates.

Why it matters: the World Cup has been expanded to 48 teams and will draw international fans to the region; local leaders said planning and marketing aim to capture lodging, food and attraction spending across Cobb County.

Holly Quinlan, president and CEO of Cobb Travel and Tourism, said tourism is a major economic driver for the county and offered a county-level annual figure: "So as a whole, it's $2,500,000,000," she said. Quinlan presented that number as an overall tourism estimate rather than a World Cup–specific projection; she and other leaders said precise event-driven dollar estimates for the World Cup were not yet available and depend on who advances and on travel patterns.

Rogers described how teams and base camps fit into local planning. Atlanta Stadium (the venue name to be used for FIFA events) will host matches and nearby facilities will serve as practice sites: "We can share that Uzbekistan will be at Atlanta United, and we're still finalizing details with Kennesaw State," she said, referring to Atlanta United's training center and Kennesaw State's stadium as planned base-camp sites.

Local activations will be constrained by FIFA's rules. Rogers said the tournament organizer permits outside activations primarily through sanctioned watch parties; "we have a confirmed watch party" in downtown Smyrna and other Cobb locations were being processed with FIFA for approvals.

Leaders emphasized coordination with Atlanta-area partners. Lindsey Burris, chief operating officer of Cobb Travel and Tourism, said the office is sharing information with Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau and Explore Georgia to move visitors around the state rather than concentrating stays in a single neighborhood.

Cobb officials are also rolling out a World Cup–specific promotion and landing page, Kick It and Cobb (kickitandcobb.com), featuring street-pole banners and venue décor to mark the county for visiting fans. Rogers said more details and approvals for local activations will be announced as FIFA clears plans.

Next steps: tourism staff will continue coordinating with FIFA, Atlanta CVB and local cities; organizers said they will publish watch-party locations and activation details as approvals are secured.