The last time Atlanta had a moment to shine on the world stage it was shattered by an act of terrorism that killed two people and injured more than 100.
Nearly 30 years after the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing, the city’s law enforcement officials are working hard to ensure the next big international moment — hosting eight matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup next summer — goes off without a hitch.
And any event as massive as the World Cup, which spans five weeks, brings a unique set of challenges.
Most of the officers currently on the force were not employed by Atlanta police during those Olympics a quarter-century ago, said Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr., who was tasked last year with leading the department’s new special events division.
Some weren’t even alive at the time.
“This is an international event. Soccer internationally is huge,” Hampton said in a recent interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “This is something that no one in the history of the police department has planned for outside of the Olympics.”
Credit: Daniel Varnado
Credit: Daniel Varnado
Officials predict as many as 300,000 people will be in town for the matches, including a highly anticipated semifinal. Mercedes-Benz Stadium seats just over 70,000. Fans will also participate in a slew of festivities at other locations, including at Centennial Olympic Park and in other related events around the city from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
Soccer’s crown jewel is still 14 months away, but police have already started fortifying plans for worst-case scenarios while figuring out how to navigate language barriers, staffing constraints and Atlanta’s everyday crime.
Preparing for the unexpected
Large-scale events bring large-scale concerns.
In the early morning hours of Jan. 1 in New Orleans, at least 14 people were killed and dozens more injured in a terror attack prior to the Sugar Bowl. That highlighted major weaknesses in the city’s public safety planning ahead of the annual event, which coincided with New Year’s Day celebrations.
Officials were warned in 2019 that bollards in place to block vehicles from entering Bourbon Street did “not appear to work,” the New York Times reported. Police said they had not accounted for the possibility that a vehicle could bypass a police car in place to block traffic by hopping onto the sidewalk, according to the newspaper.
It served as a grim reminder to police agencies across the country about the endless list of things that can go wrong — situations for which police try to prepare.
Weeks later, Atlanta hosted the College Football Playoff championship game, and officials here reexamined their public safety strategy.
“That attack caused us to have to shift and look for vulnerabilities which could play out at any of the events,” Atlanta police Chief Darin Schierbaum said during a recent city council meeting. “A lot of work went in to ensure that the vulnerability that was exploited in New Orleans was not exploited here in Atlanta.”
Nearly a year before the attack, in February 2024, Atlanta police officials had created Hampton’s special events division to focus solely on managing major events. The goal is to make sure the department is fully prepared for whatever might happen.
“Keep in mind, one terror attack somewhere in the globe could cause the entire plan to be rewritten,” Schierbaum told the council.
Planning for obstacles
With nine matches scheduled, only Arlington, Texas, will be a busier tournament host than Atlanta — both cities are holding semifinals. The influx of visitors to the Dallas area, spread across 30 days, will pose a myriad of challenges for law enforcement there.
For one, a large portion of fans will be from other countries and might speak only limited English or none at all. According to a city news release, about 54% of the expected visitors to Arlington will likely be from outside the United States.
Police departments there and in Atlanta are already thinking about how to best communicate with fans despite language barriers.
Atlanta police are coordinating with the city’s international affairs office to strategize for communicating with fans who don’t speak English and may turn to officers for help. Inside Arlington’s AT&T Stadium, that city will host an “Ambassador’s Row” for international embassy representatives to provide services for foreign visitors.
Arlington police spokesperson Tim Ciesco compared the World Cup experience to “hosting nine Super Bowls back to back to back,” and said it’s “the biggest undertaking we’ve ever been asked to manage.”
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
Officials in both cities plan to have a strong, visible police presence. But that requires lots of manpower and long hours over an extended period of time, while also preventing a drain of resources from other parts of the city.
Schierbaum said Atlanta police are forming staffing projections this month and will likely turn to nearby departments for assistance.
“This is just going to be a long period for our officers in the city,” Hampton said, “and just making sure we don’t overwhelm our teams at the beginning.”
‘Fan experience’
While levels of violent crime tend to remain steady even during major events, property crimes like car break-ins typically increase, Hampton said. Plus, Atlanta will be on an international stage, raising the stakes.
Officials hope the increased police presence will deter “bad actors” from committing crimes, especially in highly populated areas, Hampton said. Officers also will have a few other tools in their back pockets.
“In addition to officers being visible, we will have plain-clothes officers blending into the crowd. We will use our drone unit to provide area support,” Hampton said. “How do we make sure to minimize the fans and visitors being impacted by crime?”
Those fans are a focal point for Hampton’s division, particularly when coordinating with the sport’s governing body. FIFA wants spectators and guests in each host city to face similar rules in order to ensure a uniform experience, he said.
While Atlanta’s stadium might not be the largest among the 16 North American cities hosting World Cup matches, Hampton anticipates it will be one of the busiest sites. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport — the world’s busiest and a hot spot for international travel — is a big part of that.
“It’s easy to get to Atlanta, it’s easy to get to other cities from Atlanta,” Hampton said, “so I believe Atlanta is going to be a hub of activity.”
— Staff writer Riley Bunch contributed to this article.
2026 World Cup host sites and capacity
Dallas: 9 matches, 80,000
New York/New Jersey: 8 matches, 82,500
Atlanta: 8 matches, 71,000
Los Angeles: 8 matches, 70,000
Houston: 7 matches, 72,000
Boston: 7 matches, 66,000
Miami: 7 matches, 65,000
Vancouver: 7 matches, 54,500
Kansas City: 6 matches, 76,500
Seattle: 6 matches, 69,000
San Francisco: 6 matches, 68,500
Philadelphia: 6 matches, 67,500
Toronto: 6 matches, 46,000
Mexico City: 5 matches, 83,000
Monterrey: 4 matches, 53,500
Guadalajara: 4 matches, 48,000
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