But, with Argentina scheduled to play in the city next month, Jenkins said superstar Lionel Messi has not yet had the star pull of pop giant Taylor Swift, whose Eras tour came to the city in 2023.
While not a “fair comparison” due to the compressed schedule compared to the World Cup, Swift coming to town was “a city-wide sellout type of event”, Jenkins said.
Manuel Deisen is also hoping for a late surge in ticket sales
Manuel Deisen, the general manager of InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta, also told the BBC the “volume of enquiries and bookings we’re seeing is tracking lower to typical periods”.
“It’s not quite what we had hoped for,” he added.
But Deisen said he has seen “incredible enthusiasm” for the tournament, and expects a last-minute pickup as fans hold out to confirm bookings.
The hotel is also making the World Cup a key part of its summer, with plans to show games and host football-themed events for travelling and local fans throughout the competition.
Fifa said demand for the tournament has been “unprecedented” and that more than five million tickets have been sold. “Excitement continues to build for the largest sporting event on the planet,” a spokesman told the BBC.
The spokesman hit back at claims tickets are overpriced, adding that some have been sold for as little as $60, while more expensive tickets have been priced to prevent profiteering on resale markets.
The White House has established a World Cup taskforce to ensure the tournament runs smoothly. As part of preparations, it has exempted football fans from 50 countries from having to pay a $15,000 deposit when applying for visas if they can show they have valid match tickets.
