How To Enjoy The Remaining World Cup Games In Atlanta

By John A. Tures, Professor of Political Science, LaGrange College

And Zach Tures, Sports Management Major, Mercer University,

After today’s thrilling soccer match between South Africa and Czechia, there are still seven games left in Atlanta. If you still want to be a part of soccer history and see why the world is crazy about the World Cup, here’s what you need to do to see a game, and what to do when you score your tickets.

Ticket Prices: When I last wrote about the World Cup a week ago, we were able to get tickets up to $250 each for this Czechia-South Africa game. We live in a different world than we did a week ago. As of Thursday (June 18) in the evening, the cheapest game is $561 for the Democratic Republic of Congo vs. Uzbekistan game on Saturday, June 27, at 730 pm., which means the price doubled on TickPick in a week. So ignore those ads that claim World Cup ticket prices are falling. We didn’t fall for that. For those students who fancy themselves as micro-econ experts and think fans will be more desperate to sell closer to game time, think again. Morocco-Haiti three days earlier is more than $650 for the cheapest seats. For Spain-Saudi Arabia on Father’s Day at Noon, it will be more than $1,000 a ticket to go.

World Cup Playoffs: The cheapest July 1 Round of 32 playoff game at 12pm is now $1,500. For the Round of 16 game on July 17 at 12pm is $2,250 for the lowest cost. For the semifinal game on July 15 at 3pm, it’s a minimum $3,622. Expect those prices to rise.

The FIFA App: If you do buy your tickets online, you’ve got to download the FIFA World Cup App and the app for your tickets. I know it has a lot of one-star reviews from angry folks, but you have to follow the directions, using the same email that you used in the app to get your tickets. Be patient, as it won’t instantaneously download the tickets….give it an hour or so. It does have 5 star reviews too. I will give it such a review after writing this, because it worked. Ahmed Nasser at TickPick, we owe you one for helping us.

Parking: You’ve probably paid a lot for the tickets, and it’s Atlanta, so you know the traffic situation. If you’re not up for stomaching the congestion, I am a strong advocate of MARTA for a Park & Ride. I’ve used MARTA Buses to get to and from Cobb County for Parking & Ride options in Cobb County for Atlanta Braves playoff games. But arrive early for parking. Three hours before the game, the College Park GA Park & Ride lot was ¾ full. But it’s free, and only $5 for a round-trip ticket. MARTA was the smoothest it’s ever been, with a perfectly friendly staff. They should do the extra cars and staff for the Peachtree Road Race, Atlanta United, and Atlanta Falcons home football games.

The Event and Food: There wasn’t much between the Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the Georgia World Congress Center (a missed opportunity?) but plenty of vendors outside the stadium once you get inside the security perimeter. The food outside smelled great but was more expensive ($20 range). Drinks were affordable. Save some charge on your phone, as you have to show your ID a second time to get into the stadium. Inside, the food was cheaper. Most of the food was the same fare, but the stadium classics were there, and we hit our favorite: Papi’s, and our beloved Cuban Sandwiches and Empanadas. It’s on the third floor.

The Game: About half of the fans in the stadium wore South African gear and they were pumped up for their first cup tournament since 2010. About 25 percent wore Czechia uniforms, and the rest were a mix of Mexico, USA, Colombia, Germany and Barcelona then others. Czechia was quite proficient, with Michal Sadilek scoring in the sixth minute to get the fans going and made many defensive stops. However, a ball struck a Czechia defender’s hand, giving South Africa a penalty kick, and the stadium went crazy after Teboho Mokoena hit the equalizer at the 83^rd minute. Yeah, it was embarrassing when the fans booed the hydration break (if you’ve played, you know you need them), but the Mercedes-Benz Stadium countered at the second such break by playing John Denver. Boos switched to a party-like atmosphere as 67,000 global fans sang “Take Me Home, Country Roads” the way Boston Red Sox fans sing Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.” Our seats were two rows from the top, and they were pretty good for seeing the game, though neither of us could see the clock, but my son followed that on his cellphone.

Leaving the Game: It was a crush of people leaving the stadium all at once, so you may want to stay in the stands for a while, or buy your gear or souvenirs after the game, when lines aren’t as long then. When leaving the game, it’s better to walk to Five Points than the nearest MARTA Station, unless the weather is bad or you have walking problems. We do this after Falcons and Atlanta United Games. So did a lot of international fans. The World Cup planners wisely closed the streets closest to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which made exiting easier.

John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. His views are his own. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu or on “X” at @johntures2. His first book “Branded” a thriller novel where corporate greed, media manipulation and academic intrigue collide in a deadly game of product placement, has been published by the Huntsville Independent Press (https://www.huntsvilleindependent.com/product-page/branded).