When you keep your television tuned to Fox on Sunday, shortly after the culmination of the World Cup final, another soccer game will kick off.
The stadium will be sold out. The supporters will be rabid. Chances are, there will be goals aplenty.
Many in the area know the Atlanta United experience by now.
But it isn’t only Atlanta that will see the Five Stripes battle the Seattle Sounders after France and Croatia finish. Fans around the country will tune in to watch a world champion crowned in Russia, and then stay fixated to see a sold-out Mercedes Benz Stadium.
For Atlanta United and Darren Eales, the game presents a unique opportunity to showcase the strides Atlanta’s soccer franchise has made — and the growth MLS is showing alongside it.
For Eales, that display starts with the crowd. That, Eales said, is what he hopes comes across to viewers who may be unfamiliar with the Five Stripes.
“Whilst we’re extremely proud of the attendance records we’ve broken over the last 18 months,” Eales told the AJC. “The electric atmosphere is even more impressive than the sheer numbers. I would hold our atmosphere up to anywhere in Europe or South America for the excitement and energy.”
The festivities at Mercedes-Benz will begin at 11 a.m., with a “watch party” set to take place inside the stadium for those who have tickets.
According to the FIFA website, the 2014 World Cup Final had 3.2 billion viewers worldwide and more than 17 million in the U.S. Last week’s semifinal match between England and Croatia reached more than five million viewers in the states — and was the single most streamed World Cup semifinal ever.
The highest rated MLS match in history, between the LA Galaxy and the San Jose Earthquakes, reached approximately a million viewers. Sunday’s match could shatter that record.
Eales feels the franchise is ready to shine in that coveted platform.
“It’s our obligation to position the club as a first-class MLS organization that any television network would want to showcase during premier time slots, such as the one on Sunday,” Eales said.
“Whether that be the match-day atmosphere that will feature 70,000-plus fans inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, or the fact that we’ve done our best to put together an exciting product on the field.”
And it’s that product that makes Sunday’s game more than a mere spectacle. Some casual soccer fans will inevitably tune in by accident. But it’s those viewers, the league hopes, who will see the attraction of Atlanta United’s playing style.
The Five Stripes enter Sunday’s game against Seattle atop the Eastern Conference, three points clear of New York City FC.
Eales takes pride that the team has done so with a thirst for scoring goals and fielding an entertaining product. Atlanta United leads MLS with 42 goals on the season. As he puts it, “(We) would rather win a game 4-3 than 1-0.”
Sunday’s display only continues MLS’ parading of Atlanta as a league-wide exemplar. The franchise leads the league in attendance, was featured prominently in the video pitch to FIFA for the 2026 World Cup and will host the league’s All-Star game in two weeks against Juventus.
Sunday will be another example of a city continuing to blossom into a soccer epicenter. Eales hopes it can help propel the rest of the country along with it.
“I see Atlanta as a great example of the soccer hotbeds that are springing up all over the U.S. This really is an exciting time to be a soccer fan in the U.S., and especially here in the Southeast,” Eales said. “With a rapidly growing league, the 2026 World Cup, there’s a lot of to be excited about. We want Atlanta to be at the forefront of that discussion in American Soccer.”
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