Atlanta’s experience hosting major events, including the 1996 Olympics and multiple championship games, positioned the city to manage the scale and complexity of the FIFA World Cup 2026. With eight matches, a nearby FIFA Fan Festival, and numerous related events, Atlanta relied on strong stakeholder partnerships, its established transportation operations “playbook,” and coordinated traffic signal strategies to safely move pedestrians, vehicles, and escorted groups through downtown. Transportation engineers, law enforcement agencies, GDOT, local and state authorities, and event stakeholders developed safety measures for fan marches, pedestrian crossings, overflow areas, security perimeters, and contingency scenarios. The presentation will highlight Atlanta’s regional programs, collaboration, communication strategies, lessons learned, and success stories demonstrating how Georgia used available tools and partnerships to successfully implement the World Cup transportation plan.

Speakers:
Jackie Kawa, P.E., Kimley-Horn, Traffic Operations & Design Engineer
Sam Hendow, P.E., GDOT, State Signal Operations Engineer