Atlanta police tout 8% drop in crime during 1st week of FIFA Men's World Cup

The Atlanta Police Department is celebrating a drop in crime during the opening week of the FIFA 2026 Men's World Cup, despite the many crowded events taking place across the city.

On Monday night, APD Deputy Chief Jason Smith told the Atlanta City Council's Public Safety and Legal Administration Committee that the department had seen a 8% drop in crime during the World Cup's first week.

"We are in a great place as far as coming up to the midpoint of summer," Smith told members of the committee.

He said the city had 54 scheduled events related to the World Cup from Thursday to Sunday with no incidents reported at any of them.

Smith also said crime in the city was down 7% for the 28-day period and 14% for the year so far.

"We're very happy about those results," he said.

According to Smith, the department is working on four things: protecting FIFA events, responding to 911 calls, proactive policing, and "keeping the peace anywhere that we can."

The deputy chief admitted that the number of aggravated assaults are up for the year, but said that shootings were down 14%.

With summer underway, Smith said the department expects to see an increased number of car break-ins and thefts and asked the committee and the public to avoid leaving valuables in cars as well as not leaving cars running unattended.