Is Your Workplace Ready for the World Cup?
The first of 8 FIFA World Cup 2026 matches will kick off in Atlanta on June 15 and with them comes one of the largest transportation impacts the region has seen. Employers across Metro Atlanta are preparing for increased congestion, travel delays, temporary road restrictions, and shifting commute patterns throughout the tournament period.
In Buckhead specifically, teams are expected to stay at local hotels, creating temporary police escorts and rolling traffic holds throughout the month as teams travel between hotels, training facilities, and matches. Employers should expect delays around key corridors, hotels, and peak travel periods.
To support mobility in Buckhead during this time, The Buc Shuttle will expand service the day before Atlanta match days and on match days. MARTA will also operate trains every 5 minutes, the highest service frequency in MARTA history.
With these upgrades, the best ways employers can prepare is through temporary flexible work strategies.
Georgia Commute Options created a World Cup workplace toolkit that includes:
- Guidance for telework and flexible scheduling
- Temporary FlexWork policy templates
- Employee agreement examples
- Sample employee communications
Recommended strategies include:
- Telework or hybrid schedules
- Flex-time
- Compressed work weeks
- Adjusted office schedules
- Temporary alternative work arrangements
To support these efforts locally, Livable Buckhead will launch Score the Way You Go, a free campaign encouraging employees in Buckhead to use flexible work strategies while offering prizes throughout the World Cup matches.
Employers are encouraged to finalize planning now to help reduce congestion impacts and improve the employee experience during this historic time in Atlanta.
Learn more about Livable Buckhead’s Score the Way You Go campaign here.
Read the full Georgia Commute Options article and access the workplace templates here.
