Wednesday, July 1, 1:30 p.m.
Flags, pride on display ahead of Congo vs. England match
Tuesday, the Democratic Republic of the Congo celebrated its independence day. And as temperatures soar in the Atlanta area, many are hoping the Congolese people will have even more to celebrate soon as their World Cup team faces off against England today in the round of 32.
This year’s World Cup is Congo’s first appearance in 52 years.
Proudly waving a Congolese flag, Mardochee K. was excited to cheer on his native country along with his girlfriend Tyler Harris and friends Christian Holiday and Cameron Parker.
Adopted in 2006, the flag’s colors hold special significance. The blue represents peace, the red band reportedly stands for blood shed during the fight for independence, and the two yellow stripes are for the country’s wealth while the star symbolises the future.
Beyond the World Cup, Mardochee wants people to know Congo is more than what they see on the news.
“We’re much better than what people portray us as, and we’re just showing it, you know,” he said. He also wanted to raise awareness about an ongoing war.
“There’s a war going on in East Congo right now that nobody’s talking about and people are dying. We need to go out there and help them,” he said.
And even though their home country’s team didn’t qualify this year, Cameroonian sisters Samira and Shani Nanje were excited to see so many African teams in contention and came out to cheer on Congo today.
“We love to see the representation of [African countries] and it’s good to see people playing for their native country,” Shani said.
The Atlanta residents were also excited to see people from around the world getting the opportunity to enjoy a range of experiences in their city, from fried chicken at Mary Mac’s to lemon pepper wings at Magic City.
“It’s just funny seeing people’s reaction and how much they enjoy it,” Samira said.
In other World Cup news, Senegal will take on Belgium tonight in Seattle.
Monday, June 29, 2 p.m.
African nations shock the world
As the World Cup inches closer to crowning a winner, African countries continue to make history, with nine of 10 nations securing their spot in the tournament’s knockout round.
The Confederation of African Football had the highest success rate of the 48-team bracket. Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Congo, Morocco, and South Africa all qualified, with only Tunisia failing to advance after facing a tough bracket.
Only six African teams had qualified for the round of 32 previously, with Morocco most notably being the first African nation to reach the semi-finals in Qatar four years ago.
“It’s exciting to see, and it just signals the ways people’s conceptions and ideas around Africa are being challenged,” Fahamu Pecou, founder and executive director of the African Diaspora Art Museum of Atlanta, told Capital B Atlanta.
Perhaps one of the most exciting stories to come out of the 2026 World Cup is Cape Verde’s stunning debut ahead of the country’s 51st independence day on July 5. The Cape Verdean Football Association released the Blue Sharks’ official song in April called “Nôs Óra Dja Txiga,” roughly translating to “Our Time Has Arrived.”
Cape Verde has defied expectations as a World Cup underdog, collecting three draws to advance to the knockout round. One of these draws came against football giant Spain.
“I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything that has happened,” Vozinha, Cape Verde’s veteran goalkeeper, team captain, and breakout star of the tournament, posted on Instagram. “Seeing millions of people from all corners of the globe reach out like this took me completely by surprise.”
Cape Verde is set to go up against Argentina on July 3 at Miami Gardens, where the team will face leading World Cup scorer and soccer legend Lionel Messi.
For fans in Atlanta hoping to catch one of the other African countries play in person, Congo will battle England on July 1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Friday, June 26, 11:30 a.m.
It’s a cross cultural exchange at Fan Fest
Thousands of soccer fans went to Centennial Park last night for the Fan Fest watch party as the U.S. battled Turkey in Inglewood, California.
Atlanta native Khari Davis decided to fly home from Los Angeles to enjoy the festivities and see people from around the world vibing in his hometown.
“I’ve seen people of all cultures being welcomed into the community and honestly I feel that,” Davis said.
Sisters Rodlyne Swaby and Tiffani West came to enjoy the vibes.
“I’m here today because I am representing for my country, which is Haiti,” Swaby said. “I got to go to the game yesterday and it was a wonderful experience. I will remember [that match] for the rest of my life.”
Atlanta natives Malcolm Strickland and Gabriel Bailey came out to experience their first World Cup and enjoy the mix of cultures in the city.
I live in Atlanta my whole life, so it’s like usually I like to travel, so I have to go a lot of places to like see different cultures, but everybody’s here now,” Strickland said. “So it’s like you’re able to see everybody come to your backyard. That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to come, experience different people.”
It’s been cool to see all the different nations and, all the different people coming out and the games have been super entertaining,” Bailey said. “Just being out in the crowd with it, so it’s been cool.”
When asked who they were rooting for, both were excited about the U.S. team’s chances, as well as France, Spain, Brazil, and Portugal.
For Krystal Garrett, the night was all about the fit. She was decked out in red, white, and blue and enjoyed mingling with people from around the world.
“It’s just fun to interact with people from different countries, especially when the DJ is playing music and everybody’s dancing with people from everywhere,” Garrett said. “So that’s just seeing that we’re like brothers and sisters pretty much on the dance floor.”
Thursday, June 25, 10:30 a.m.
Haitian Americans celebrate a team making history
The Westside Motor Lounge was teeming with fans Wednesday for a Haitian festival and watch party ahead of the team’s match against Morocco.
Fabiola Maurice, a recent college grad whose parents are from Haiti, said she came out to cheer for Les Grenadiers. This year’s team is the first to qualify for the World Cup since 1974.
“Its been a good 5,356 years since Haiti’s been in the World Cup,” Maurice joked. “I’m just here to celebrate my people and celebrate unity.” And while she doesn’t consider herself a huge football fan, she wants people to know more about Haiti and its culture.
“Haitians have the fight like in the the blood. What they have in them is different,” she said. “So I want people to know that what we’re resilient. We’re here to win.”
Sharlene Destine, a first-generation Haitian American, came with her friend Wendy Brevet and her sister-in-law Brianna Flaherty to see Haiti “make history.”
“We’re excited, we’re supportive,” Destine said. “Even if they didn’t win the first two games, we’re just still so proud of them just for being here.”
They also wanted people to know more about Haiti and its people.
“So, I know somebody has said that it’s a ‘bullshit country,’ but it’s a country to be proud of,” Destine said. “We’re going places, we love each other and we have an amazing culture, the food. The love, everything is great.”
Sammi O. and Kathleen came down to the motor lodge to celebrate and take pictures.
“I’m Haitian, and you know, having Haiti in the World Cup after so long is just amazing, and I had to capture it,” Sammi said.
For Kathleen, she was taking in all the Haiti love.
“I’ve never seen this many Haitians in one spot before out here, so we’re just really just bringing a different perspective to Atlanta that I haven’t seen before, so I’m loving it,” Kathleen said.
Haiti got on the board quickly Wednesday night in its match against Morocco, with striker Lenny Joseph logging the team’s first goal of the 2026 World Cup. But it was not to last, as Haiti fell to Morocco 4-2.
While Haiti has been eliminated from the tournament, fans still cheered for their team at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and at watch parties around the city.
“This world right now is really divided, especially culturally, so hoping that we can see that the lines are blurred and we’re all one people,” Sammi said.
Wednesday, June 24, 11 a.m.
Ghana and Haiti matches fuel fan fever
As Ghana prepared to face off against England on Tuesday, hundreds of soccer fans around the city gathered for watch parties.
Mawuena Agbonyitor, who is part Ghanaian, proudly waved a flag at the watch party at Decatur Square. She traveled from Washington, D.C., to attend her first World Cup game.
“Getting into the games, that’s always fun, talking about it with friends is fun,” Agbonyitor told Capital B Atlanta. “[But] there are a lot of concerns going into this World Cup, seeing a lot of unfairness with ticket prices, people with visa issues.”
Haitian brothers Litz and Jonathan Simon came up from Florida for today’s World Cup match between Haiti and Morocco but stopped by Decatur to root for Ghana in their highly anticipated match against England.
“I’m just looking for a good game,” Litz shared.
The brothers are also looking forward to checking out the Atlanta food scene between matches. “I hear a lot of good things about the food in Atlanta, especially like the wings, lemon pepper to be exact,” Jonathan said.
For siblings Madison and Harrison Boadus, who came from Dallas, the match against England was personal since their father is from Ghana.
“We’re half Ghanaian, so this is our country,” Madison told Capital B Atlanta. “We’re rooting for them, and I’m telling you they are going to win.”
They attended the Decatur watch party with their friend Decaria Harris and they all plan to travel Saturday to Philadelphia to see Ghana play again.
“You got to think football is the sport of the world, so it’s like you’ve got to support it,” Harrison said. “It brings out the culture.”
Fans were excited to see Ghana hold their own against England as the match ended 0-0. England hadn’t lost to an African country at the World Cup in its past nine matches.
The Campbell family was hanging out at FanFest at Centennial Park on Tuesday. They came from Barbados to watch today’s match between Haiti and Morocco. Jonathan Campbell, a footballer with a masters team in Barbados called Bedrock United, is especially keen to see the matches.
“It looks like there will be a lot of upsets, but it’s going to be a very fun World Cup.”
Wednesday, June 17, noon
Soccer as art
Between matches, World Cup fans can enjoy another aspect of the game by exploring the sport they love through the lens of the diaspora.
The African Diaspora Art Museum of Atlanta (ADAMA), located at Pittsburgh Yards, is featuring The African Game, a visually striking exhibition of images shot across multiple African countries by Nigerian photographer and filmmaker Andrew Dosunmu.
The series, featuring spectators in Angola, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Gabon, Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal, is designed to “shift the gaze from the pitch to those who surround it; the fans.” The goal was to “center what the players see rather than what the crowd consumes.”
During an interview with Fahamu Pecou, the museum’s founder and executive director, he told Capital B Atlanta that the exhibit shows that the community and culture around football is a lifestyle across the African diaspora.
“It’s more than a sport; it’s a way people connect and communicate and express themselves, and so what we wanted to do here was capture the essence of that,” Pecou said.
And while he said he believes much of the World Cup experience is focused on the European teams, African countries are playing a major role on the global stage.
“Oftentimes when we think about the sport of football, we don’t really think about Africa in that context, even though most of the dominant players are of African descent or come from the African continent,” he said. “But beyond the players and their abilities, there’s this great sense of community and culture that is also expressed through the sport.”
Pecou said he believes the ADAMA exhibit will present a compelling new look at the global sport.
“We were really intentional about programming this exhibition during this time, because we wanted to create an opportunity and experience for people to get a feel for what football is like in the African diaspora,” Pecou said. “We really wanted to bring that cultural experience here on top of what’s happening with the sport [during the World Cup] and all the activity.”
The African Game will be on display at ADAMA Gallery, 352 University Ave. SW, until July 25.
Tuesday, June 16, 12:15 p.m.
Underdog Cape Verde stuns Spain
In its first World Cup appearance, the scrappy team from the small island nation of Cape Verde held its own against powerhouse Spain at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday.
Ranked 61 in the world, Cape Verde achieved a 0-0 draw against third-ranked Spain.
Located less than 400 miles off the coast of West Africa, Cape Verde’s nearly 600,000 residents were jubilant over the team’s performance, especially that of goalkeeper Josimar José Évora Dias. Known as Vozinha, he shut down Spain with seven saves on 27 shots and earned FIFA’s Man of the Match honors.
“I think it is the most important moment of our lives,” Vozinha, which means “Little Voice,” told ESPN Brasil before the tournament.
Overcome with emotion after the hard-fought match that many are calling a victory, the 19-year soccer veteran picked up 5 million new followers on social media.
“I cried because I grew up with my grandparents and unfortunately they were not here; they died a few years ago,” Vozinha told reporters after the game. “They were everything for me, for my life. I also cried because my mum didn’t manage to be here because of the visa. Because of the money we had to pay for the visa, we didn’t manage to [get it done] on time. I would like her to be here, but I’m also very happy.”
Vozinha also knew what the team’s performance meant to his country.
“I have worked my whole life for this moment,” Vozinha said. “I’m 40 years old. I started playing football professionally when I was 25, in 2012. I thought about leaving, but I continued because of this dream. This is for everyone. I was named man of the match, but this is for all of my teammates because without them nothing would be possible. I will continue to work for Cape Verde and for the people.”
Next up, Cape Verde faces Uruguay in Miami on Sunday.
Monday, June 15, 11:15 a.m.
Cape Verde faces Spain, and Fan Fest energy
A plane full of Cape Verde fans touched down at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport this weekend to cheer on their underdog team as they face off against Spain today at noon.
The match will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. For those without tickets, Centennial Olympic Park offers a free public watch party at FIFA Fan Festival, or you can watch on Fox.
At the FIFA Fan Festival on Sunday, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens joined local residents and fans from around the world to celebrate the start of the games.
“Families were out, kids were playing soccer, fans from around the world were exploring Downtown, and the energy was exactly what we’ve been preparing for,” Dickens posted on Instagram. “If this opening weekend is any sign of what’s ahead, we’re going to have an incredible summer.”
Dickens has said the city expects between 300,000-500,000 visitors during the 34-day tournament.
You can watch all matches at Centennial Park while also enjoying live events, games, and guest appearances. Fans can also hit the Decatur MARTA station for another free watch party featuring three screens.
Today’s opening match is the first of eight games to be played in the city. Check out our listing of other events!
This story has been updated.
