ATLANTA – House Minority Whip David Wilkerson (D-Powder Springs) today expressed his support for Atlanta’s bid to become a host city for the FIFA World Cup 2026. During the 2022 legislative session, Whip Wilkerson co-sponsored House Bill 1034 to add the FIFA World Cup to the list of major sporting events where Georgia exempts ticket purchases from sales tax.
“I am excited and looking forward to Atlanta winning its bid to become a host of the FIFA World Cup 2026,” said Whip Wilkerson. “Atlanta has a longstanding history of hosting the most coveted sporting events, including the 1996 Summer Olympics, the 2018 College Football National Championship, multiple Super Bowls and the 2018 MLS All-Star Game. This event will become a job-producing, economic engine for families and small businesses across the Atlanta area, and I cannot wait for our renowned city to return to the international stage once again.”
On June 16, FIFA will announce its host cities for the FIFA World Cup 2026 across Canada, Mexico and the United States. Atlanta is one of 22 candidate host cities that are currently vying to stage matches for the 48-team tournament.
While stadiums are an essential element in the selection process, FIFA is also considering other elements of Atlanta’s proposal, which includes ancillary events and venues, sustainability, human rights, legacy, general infrastructure and financial impact. As a host of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Atlanta would use the opportunity to further promote the game and bring awareness to sustainability through educational programs. FIFA also commended Atlanta for having innovative and state-of-the-art stadiums and being a model using new technology to transform the live sports experience.
The other current candidate host cities include Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Edmonton, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Monterrey, Nashville, New York/New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington DC/Baltimore.
HB 1034 amends Georgia’s code to expand the sales tax exemption for sales of admissions to non-recurring major sporting events to include any match of a FIFA World Cup. This bipartisan legislation extends the sunset date for this sale tax exemption from December 31, 2022, to December 31, 2031. HB 1034 was recently signed into law by the governor on May 2, 2022. For more information about HB 1034, please click here.
For more information about the upcoming announcement, please visit https://www.fifa.com/.
Representative David Wilkerson represents the citizens of District 38, which includes portions of Cobb County. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2010 and currently serves as House Minority Whip. He also serves on the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Oversight, Juvenile Justice, Ethics, Rules, Retirement and Science and Technology committees.
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