The high stakes showdown drew massive crowds inside the venue and across surrounding streets. Spanish fans started the day with an energetic march through downtown along Martin Luther King Jr Drive, filled with chants, drums, and instruments. The buildup carried extra tension because both teams entered even in the standings after Spain drew with Cabo Verde on Monday and Saudi Arabia drew with Uruguay in Miami.
A quarter million soccer fans flooded Atlanta's downtown sports and entertainment district during the festival's first 10 days of operation, according to data from local tournament officials. Thousands of ticketless supporters stood shoulder to shoulder to watch the broadcast live from the FIFA Fan Festival at Centennial Olympic Park, where Spanish fans erupted during the match and celebrated the win.
It remains unclear how many additional fans will visit downtown Atlanta for the remaining five World Cup matches scheduled in the city. The streets around Atlanta Stadium have transformed into a massive festival of international football.
It's going to be a tough game. Hopefully we got, make what we did, against Argentina last time.
Saudi Arabia fan Ahmed Abu Tayrah said that before kickoff. Spain fan Danny Blanco addressed the pregame pressure by saying the situation felt like a settling point, referencing Spain's tied result in 2010 before the team advanced.
If you win this game, we're in and that's it. Well, we got to go to the next step. I believe that we're going to the next step. Y'all gonna see that.
Saudi Arabia fan Ali Mohammed said that ahead of the match. After Spain scored, Antonio Swarner reacted to an early goal involving Lamine Yamal.
Can you believe that first goal, man? That was insane! That Lamine Yamal touch... you can't beat that, man. You can't beat that.
Swarner later added that he believed Spain still needed extra points to clinch group advancement but felt the team had what it took to get there.
The energy and enthusiasm we've seen from fans throughout the FIFA Fan Festival has been extraordinary.
Georgia World Congress Center Authority Chief Commercial Officer Joe Bocherer said that in a press release. Atlanta Sports Council and Atlanta FIFA World Cup Host Committee President Dan Corso added that the response to FIFA Fan Festival Atlanta exceeded expectations and demonstrated the excitement surrounding the FIFA World Cup in the city.
