FIFA World Cup 26 · Atlanta
The Epicenter
of Soccer
Where talent, momentum, and global attention converge.
FIFA World Cup 26: The Atlanta Last Mile
Role:
UX & Wayfinding Designer
Industry:
Sports & Live Events
Scope:
Wayfinding strategy, crowd flow, design guidelines
Location:
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is about to host the world. Roughly 300,000 spectators will move between the Fan Festival and the stadium across eight matches, most of them arriving at the same time and leaving at the same time. This is how we approached the last stretch of that journey: the Last Mile.
The AskDesign a safe, engaging, FIFA-compliant Last Mile framework.
One that ensures smooth crowd movement while delivering a world-class fan journey that celebrates Atlanta's identity.
Why Atlanta
The Epicenter of Soccer
Before the wayfinding, the context. Three things make this city the right place for the sport to land. Open each one.
Atlanta United's Impact
Championship success and record-breaking crowds have turned soccer into a defining part of Atlanta's identity.
Institutional Growth
With an NWSL expansion team and U.S. Soccer's new headquarters, Atlanta is building the future of the sport.
Passionate Fan Culture
Supporter groups and diverse communities have created one of the most electric soccer atmospheres in the country.
Atlanta has set the standard for what soccer in America can be.
The framework
Focus Areas
Five areas split between two goals: making the Last Mile clear, and making it a place fans want to be.
Clarity
Engagement
01 Wayfinding Strategy. This is the focus area the rest of this case study walks through.
Focus area 01
Wayfinding Strategy
Wayfinding
Strategy
Who is coming
Most of the people in the Last Mile will have never seen it before.
Atlanta is expected to welcome
~0
unique spectators
across the 8 World Cup matches hosted in the city.
About 75% of those spectators
will travel from outside of Georgia
(from other U.S. states or other countries)
When they move
Crowds do not trickle. They arrive in a wave before the match and leave in a wave after it. Switch between the two.
The Challenge
0%–0%
arrive within 90 minutes pre-game.
Every figure is a range. Solid fans are the low end, light blue the high end.
The risk
The “Last Mile” becomes
the highest-risk zone
Core Tension:
“Which Way Do I Go?”
Research
What We Learned
Past global events had already shown what clear wayfinding is worth. Three numbers shaped the strategy.
What We Learned
From Global Events
Field research
On the Ground
We walked the route ourselves, looking for the moments where a stranger would hesitate: signs, posts, markers, forks in the path.
Tap any photo to open it. Use the arrow keys to move through them.
Movement routes
The Area
The primary route runs from the Fan Festival to the stadium. Pick a place, or switch the route on and off.
Selected: Fan Festival