England vs. DR Congo at Atlanta Stadium: a visitor’s guide to matchday

If you’re in Atlanta for the World Cup match between England and DR Congo, welcome! The city has been absolutely buzzing all tournament and tomorrow’s knockout match has the makings of one of the best days of the whole event. This is your quick, no-nonsense guide to getting to the stadium, finding the match if you didn’t land a ticket, and making the most of a day or two in town, written by folks who cover the game here in Atlanta rather than a travel site that’s trying to cash in on the hype.

England vs. DR Congo

The match is at Atlanta Stadium a.k.a. Mercedes-Benz Stadium, what everyone here just calls “the Benz,” Wednesday, July 1, with a noon Eastern kickoff (that’s 5 p.m. in the UK and 5 p.m. in Kinshasa). Gates open three hours before, so from around 9 a.m.

On paper England are obviously the heavy favorites, but don’t sleep on potential upsets, as we saw yesterday between Paraguay and Germany. DR Congo are one of the best stories left in the entire tournament. This is only their second World Cup ever and their first since 1974, when they played as Zaire under one of the darkest sets of circumstances the sport has ever seen, and simply reaching this stage is the deepest run in the country’s history. There’s already been a big Congolese presence in Atlanta, since DR Congo played a group game right here at the Benz, and the celebrations after they booked their spot in this round were absolutely wild.

How to get to Atlanta Stadium

Take the train or, depending on your distance, walk. MARTA is BY FAR the best way to get to the stadium, it’s been moving well over a million fans this tournament, and it skips the parking crapshow entirely. Your ultimate destination is the SEC District station (that’s the Sports, Entertainment and Convention District stop, which drops you right next to the stadium, State Farm Arena, and Centennial Olympic Park (which is where the FanFest is located). It’s part of the eastbound/westbound line, so if you’re staying closer to a northbound/southbound line (or getting on from the airport and going north), you’ll just have to make one quick transfer, super easy.

Specifically, Five Points Station is the central hub where you make transfers to go from either north/south to east/west. Once you get to Five Points Station, you only need to hop on the westbound train for one stop and you’re there.

Trains run every five minutes from before 5 a.m. until about 1:30 a.m., and a one-way ride is $2.50 on a Breeze card. You can also just tap-to-pay (Apple Pay, card, etc) on the entry/exit gates. If you have a rental car, leave it at one of the MARTA stations outside the city center for free and take the train in. We put together a full MARTA guide that walks you through it step by step, including straight from the airport.

No ticket? Here’s where to watch England vs. DR Congo around Atlanta

First, the heads-up: the FIFA Fan Festival at Centennial Olympic Park has been selling out on its remaining days, so don’t count on walking up and getting in. The good news is Atlanta has better options than just about any host city, and we keep a running list on our fan zones and watch parties page..

Head east to Decatur WatchFest ’26, which has quietly been one of the best watch experiences in the metro all tournament. It’s a free, 34-day festival on the renovated Decatur Square that runs right through the final, showing matches on three giant outdoor screens plus more than 40 official “WatchSpot” pubs, restaurants, and breweries all over town, with live music and food trucks to go with it. The whole thing sits directly on top of the Decatur MARTA station, so you can train straight there without touching a car, and the surrounding pubs like Brick Store Pub, The Marlay House, and O’Sullivan’s are all perfect places to grab a beer and either try to sit inside (Brick Store doesn’t have TVs) or take the beer back out to the main lawn where the screens are located. It’s a perfect move if you want the big-crowd, flags-everywhere atmosphere without fighting downtown traffic.

If you’d rather post up at a proper soccer bar, Brewhouse Cafe in Little Five Points was named America’s Best Soccer Bar by Men in Blazers in 2025, it’s been a home for fans since 1997, it’s got 27 screens, and there’s a newer location near the stadium too. Fadó Irish Pub has been showing the game in this city since the old Atlanta Ruckus days and draws a great mix of Premier League and national-team supporters, perfect for England fans. And if you want something you genuinely can’t get anywhere else, Cosm at Centennial Yards is a brand new 87-foot LED dome right next to the stadium that puts you basically field-level for World Cup matches. There’s also a brand new Irish pub named The Irish Exit, opened by our good friend and Major League Soccer broadcaster Kevin Egan.

Since there are three Round of 32 matches on today as well, so if you got into town early, the same bars and Decatur are your spot. We’ve got the full rundown in today’s how-to-watch guide, and we’ll have a full guide to tomorrow’s England vs. DR Congo broadcast up shortly.

What to do in Atlanta while you’re here

With a noon kickoff tomorrow, today’s really your window for seeing the city, and the best of touristy Atlanta is packed into a few walkable blocks right next to where you’ll be on matchday. The Georgia Aquarium is one of the largest in the world and lets you walk through a glass tunnel beneath whale sharks, and it’s right next door to the World of Coca-Cola, where there is a tasting room of Coke-branded drinks from around the globe. Both sit on the edge of Centennial Olympic Park, the green space from the 1996 Olympics, and the College Football Hall of Fame is a few steps away and great even if you’ve never watched a down of American football.

The one thing I’d tell anyone not to skip is the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park in the Sweet Auburn district, where you can visit Dr. King’s birth home and Ebenezer Baptist Church. It’s free, it’s a short hop east of downtown, and it’s one of the more significant historical things to do in the city. If you’ve got more time, Ponce City Market is a huge old building turned food hall that connects straight to the Atlanta BeltLine, our walking trail that strings together the city’s best neighborhoods.

Where to eat near the stadium

You’re in the right part of town for soul food, which is the thing to eat in Atlanta. The Busy Bee Cafe on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, just west of the stadium, is a James Beard-honored institution that’s been doing some of the best fried chicken in America for decades, and yes, Dr. King himself used to eat there. Paschal’s is the other legend nearby, a restaurant that was a genuine meeting place for civil rights leaders in the 1960s and still does fried chicken and peach cobbler the legit way.

A few practical things before you come

Dress for the heat, because early July in Atlanta means high temperatures and serious humidity, often up into the 90s, plus we’re under a heat advisory at the moment. The good news is the Benz is fully climate-controlled with a roof, so the match itself will be wonderful, but if you’re walking around downtown before a noon kickoff or after the final whistle, drink water to offset the alcohol and wear something light. Grab a Breeze card for MARTA as soon as you land so you’re not fumbling at the gate, and if you still need a room, our hotel guide has options at every price point near the stadium and along the train line.

That’s it! Atlanta waited a long time to host games like this, the city’s been loud and welcoming all tournament, and a World Cup knockout match at the Benz is going to be a proper occasion whoever you’re pulling for. Enjoy the game, enjoy the city, and be sure to check out our complete World Cup hub. Welcome to Atlanta!

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