First Atlanta World Cup match in the books
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — The first World Cup match in Atlanta is officially in the books, ending in a stunning draw between Cape Verde and powerhouse Spain, and the fans were having a blast.
Fans started showing up at Atlanta Stadium — the temporarily renamed Mercedes-Benz Stadium due to FIFA branding rules — at 8 a.m. Monday. There were chants, jerseys, flags and plenty of excitement as the game officially got underway.
“I’m a soccer fan. I’m really, really such a soccer fan, so like everything is exciting for me,” said Maria Jose Jimenez.
She is a lifelong Spain fan and drove to the match with her family from Alabama. She said being here felt like a dream come true.
“This is one of my biggest dreams like since I’m six years old because when Spain won the World Cup in 2010. I was like five years old, so I can barely remember that, but I remember I was so excited,” said Jimenez.
It was a day of firsts in Atlanta. This was the first World Cup match in the city. It was also the first appearance in a World Cup for Cape Verde, something Dave Pina said he was thrilled about.
“As somebody whose parents were born on Cape Verde islands, I couldn’t not try to come check out the game,” he said.
Pina said no matter the 0-0 score, the fact that the team has made it this far is a huge deal.
“We looked up the population yesterday; it’s a population of 527,000 people, so it’s a pretty big deal for their nation,” said Pina.
If you have tickets to one of the other seven matches at Atlanta Stadium, gates open three hours before the match, and you’ll want to get there early.
You’ll need a clear bag, and MARTA is encouraging fans to use their system to avoid traffic. Small flags and banners are allowed inside to show off your team spirit.
Jimenez encouraged anyone heading to a future match to soak it all in.
“Today is like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe that I’m actually here,’” said Jimenez.
The next Atlanta match is Thursday at noon, when Czechia takes on South Africa.
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