What could be better than watching some of the best soccer players in the world take the pitch in Atlanta? Watching global superstar Shakira in her element the night before.
The FIFA 2026 World Cup is bringing eight matches to Georgia’s capital city, and with it tens of thousands of soccer fans from right here in the state or around the world.
While many fans may be venturing inside the Atlanta Stadium (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) to catch a match, others who couldn’t or didn’t want to buy match tickets will be enjoying the global tournament from various fan fests or events.
At State Farm Arena, just steps away from the Atlanta Stadium, musical guests from around the world will be performing in a stacked summer lineup in the days surrounding the World Cup.
From Shakira to Ariana Grande to Lionel Richie, here are the can’t-miss summer concerts — and a chance to win free tickets.
Atlanta soccer fans and those hoping to enjoy the excitement of the World Cup without attending a match may be able to find that same energy inside State Farm Arena this summer.
That is what Trey Feazell, EVP of Arena Programming, was hoping for when his team began to schedule acts at the arena for June and July.
“We knew that there was going to be (a) hundred thousand extra folks coming in town, and obviously music is a universal language that every you know (for) everybody you know all over the world. Music is something that connects everyone,” Feazell told USA TODAY in an interview. “We felt like this was a great opportunity to bring people together.”
All of the concerts were scheduled around match days, meaning fans that are hoping to attend both a match and a concert could hit both while in Atlanta. Feazell said this was intentional because Atlanta is likely to become a regional hub for fans following their teams, and there may be days in between matches where fans and locals are trying to find something to do.
The shows are predominantly at night, meaning fans can spend the day in Centennial Park checking out the fan fest or exploring the city before settling in for a concert, Feazell said.
“The thing that I think is so fun about it is it’s all different genres of music,” Feazell said. “We have two night of Tame Impala, which is, you know, a different audience than it would be for Shakira… We tried to do as many of the different genres as we could so that we could try and do something for everyone.”
Between June 8 and July 24, 13 different acts will be performing at State Farm Arena.
Do some of these concerts seem too good to miss? You have a chance to attend all of them for free with State Farm Arena’s Golden Ticket.
In the Gold Ticket Giveaway, one lucky fan will win two tickets to every single concert in June and July, meaning your summer could be filled with music for you and a friend.
Enter your birthday, name and email address into the State Farm Arena Golden Ticket Giveaway website for your chance to win.
To see State Farm Arena’s 2026 event calendar, check their website.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta Stadium) will host five group stage matches, a round of 32 match, a round of 16 match and one of the tournament’s semifinal match.
Irene Wright covers the FIFA World Cup as the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
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