2026 Atlanta 500
Clyde Higgs, President and CEO, Atlanta Beltline
Photograph by The Sintoses
How will the FIFA World Cup shape the city?
It’s hard to believe that 30 years have passed since the 1996 Centennial Olympics were held in Atlanta. Not only was the summer of 1996 a pivotal time for our city, the summer of 1996 was a pivotal time for me. Not only was Atlanta being presented to the world in a brand-new way, as a 1996 graduate of the University of Georgia, I was being presented to the city as a brand-new adult. It was a heady time for both of us.
One of my first memories of that summer was partying in Underground Atlanta awash in the clamor of languages from across the globe as glasses clinked high in the air. I didn’t understand the words, but I understood what was being said: Atlanta is the place to be. And that was evident every day as the Olympics unfolded in our city. I recall every MARTA train that I rode during that time was brimming with people heading to all of the games, matches, and meets scattered throughout the metro area and beyond. Reporting for a local newspaper, I remember traveling back to Athens to cover an Olympic-adjacent event and meeting a contingent of Aboriginal people. Australia had come to Athens, Georgia! I could scarcely believe it. I remember feeling proud that the powerful leadership of Atlanta had scored big in securing the Olympics for the city, and I hoped that I added to its power as my adulthood unfolded.
With the 2025 release of The Games in Black and White: Billy Payne, Andy Young and the Quest that Changed Atlanta Forever, I learned more about the powerful partnership between Payne and Young who parlayed a conversation about our city into an invitation for the world to come to the civil rights capital of the nation. The legacy of that partnership is as tangible as Centennial Olympic Park, an enduring testament to what is possible with powerful leadership.
With the FIFA World Cup 2026 coming to Atlanta this summer, our city will once again be a destination for sports lovers from throughout the world. And having been here for the 1996 Centennial Olympics, I know that the impact of such an event has the power to go beyond what will happen in these matches. While some may have deemed Atlanta as a powerful city for various reasons before the summer games, the 1996 Centennial Olympics cemented that Atlanta was a global city. How the FIFA World Cup 2026 will shape the city is a story that has yet to be written, but many of the stories of the powerful leaders who are responsible for bringing this global institution to Atlanta are included in this year’s edition of the Atlanta 500. It is my hope that the annals of Atlanta will take notice.
— Jacqueline J. Holness, Editor
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