United We Roar: The Fans Fueling Atlanta’s Soccer Revolution

Atlanta is a soccer city. 

It feels like both a gradual development for Georgia and something that happened all at once. Georgia isn’t new to passionate fans: whether it’s the Atlanta Braves and Savannah Bananas baseball teams or football teams at a variety of experience levels, the array of pop culture conventions, or the fans who travel to every Antiques Roadshow taping or attend every MASTERPIECE drama screening at GPB’s studios on 14th Street. Georgians don’t shy away from celebrating the interests that they love: it’s a way of life in this state. But while I’m familiar with taking over downtown Atlanta every Labor Day weekend for Dragon Con, I’m less versed in Atlanta United: Mercedes-Benz Stadium is a fixture of Atlanta’s skyline, advertisements are everywhere and merchandise shops are packed with customers, but the soccer fandom still feels both vibrant to those in the know and a mystery to those who have yet to experience a game. 

Until now. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup arriving in Atlanta this month, the momentum around the event and soccer in Georgia is growing. That includes a new four-part documentary series from the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau and production team Tantra Worldwide, United We Roar. But instead of interviews with multiple Atlanta United players and coaches, the documentary looks at soccer in Georgia through a different lens: the fans, and the friendship and communities created out of the love of the team. 

Credit: Bryan Smoker

“The series [highlights] the growth of the sport through fans and local businesses while expanding the story beyond the pitch,” said Sheretha Bell, Senior Vice President of marketing and brand strategy, Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau. “It reflects Atlanta’s cultural heartbeat through music, creativity and community.” 

Through the perspectives of six of the largest supporter groups of Atlanta United FC to capture the sheer scale and diversity of the fanbase, viewers are introduced to groups that are inclusive of race, gender, class and age, from an LGBTQ community to the youth soccer teams who are inspired by Atlanta United to hone their skills. They come from different backgrounds, but they unite as one to support the team and each other.  

“Across every group, there’s an intentional effort to create space for connection, expression and belonging,” Bell explained, sharing that such connections range from card games and bar hangouts to showing up for one another’s families in times of need. “That’s what makes this soccer culture, and really Atlanta’s culture, so powerful. It’s not something they simply describe as ‘inclusive’; it’s something you feel and experience in real time.” 

Credit: Bryan Smoker

It’s not just a moment of success, either. When both the Atlanta Convention and & Visitors Bureau and Tantra Worldwide were asked what surprised them when making this series, the answer was discovering how deep Atlanta’s soccer roots are, but revealing a system that is being sustained and expanded for generations to come.  

“You have one of the most passionate fan bases in Major League Soccer, but also real investment in what comes next – through the new U.S. Soccer Federation Headquarters, the addition of a new National Women’s Soccer League and continued growth in youth recreation leagues, academies and innovative approaches like Soccer in the Streets,” Bell shared, regarding both the passion and longevity of both Atlanta United FC and soccer as a sport. “Together, these efforts show how the ecosystem around the game in Atlanta is being built for long-term impact.” 

Credit: Bryan Smoker

It’s a heartfelt, fascinating look at how a team and a sport has changed the lives of so many in Atlanta for the better, and it’s difficult to resist experiencing a game for yourself. “The people are the culture,” Bell replied after being asked what drew the Visitors Bureau and Tantra Worldwide to telling the fans’ stories. “You see it in the artwork across the city, hear it in the music in and around the stadium and taste it in the food at local restaurants and tailgates. Even the kits and the fan gear become expressions of identity, heritage and pride. It’s all distinctly Atlanta - diverse, global and deeply connected - and it’s the fans who bring it to life.” 

And if you want to attend an Atlanta United game for the first time, Bell insisted that new fans shouldn’t be nervous about stepping into Mercedes-Benz. “Just show up and be ready to have a great time. Even if you don’t know much about soccer, you’ll have 75,000 friends to learn from and cheer alongside.” 

United We Roar premieres Monday, June 15 at 10 p.m. on GPB-TV. 

Caption

As the World Cup descends on America, one city dares to claim the crown—now its fans must prove Atlanta is the true Soccer Capital of the USA.

EP’s - Sheretha Bell, Andrew Wilson

Concept - Farook Singh

Producer - Maya Singh

Director Production - Bryan Smoker

Atlanta Producer - Jo Ann Haden Miller

Director/Editor - Brian Stork

DP - Ronald Gonzales

2nd Camera - Jamarrio Plair Washington

Audio - Michael Gonzales