Argentina-England cap Atlanta World Cup matches

Love everything. We go back, we have lots of stories to tell our friends. For some, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a World Cup semi-final happening right here in Atlanta. All eyes will be on the city in just a matter of hours. A look at how fans are already getting into the soccer spirit and the preparations underway. That's where we begin tonight on The News in Ten. I'm Russ Spencer. Thousands of World Cup fans dodged raindrops today at the FIFA FanFest. Ludacris took the stage before the sold-out crowd watched Spain dominate France in the World Cup final, or get to the World Cup final for the second time ever. Fox 5's Rob DiRienzo is live at FanFest in Centennial Olympic Park tonight. Rob, tomorrow's semi-final here is Atlanta's last World Cup match. That's right, Russ, good evening to you. It will be a big one tomorrow, and after Spain's big victory earlier today, we've seen Argentina and England fans turning up the heat, getting ready for that final semi-final here in Atlanta. And thankfully, throughout the day, the rain really didn't put a damper on things. Soccer fans got a little wet at FIFA FanFest Tuesday after watching Spain beat France 2-0, advancing to the final for the first time since 2010. Yeah, everyone's having to pull, like, trash bags and stuff up, but she can't prepare. I'm just glad it cooled down. It feels great out here right now, so we're happy. Before the rain, Ludacris took the stage. Serenading soccer fans from around the world. We're from Singapore. Singapore, right? We're from Singapore. We flew halfway around the world just to be here. Ken Chang and Thomas Lee both wanted different outcomes in Tuesday's semi-final. We were expecting France to score, but they didn't score. And how did you feel about it? I think Spain, they have always been a traditional team that always attacks. JP Okius, who goes to Georgia State, was rooting against his home country as a lifelong Messi fan. From France myself, I'm born and raised there. I'm so happy that we lost, because I want Messi to win. After Argentina takes on England tomorrow here in Atlanta, he's planning on jumping on a plane to see the final. I'm going to New York, actually. I'm going for that game. I'm going to the stadium. I got my tickets already. You're going to be inside. I'm going to be inside. I got my tickets already. Lee and Chang say they will both be at the semi-final and final, shelling out $30,000 for tickets. But it's love every cent. It's love every cent. Love every cent. It's love every cent. We go back, we got lots of stories to tell our friends. Argentina and England will hit the pitch at three on Wednesday, the final match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup happening here in Atlanta. It's extremely confident. It's going to be an easy game for England, so no worries here for me and Arlo. Today was a lovely day to be an Argentina fan. I'm sorry, France, but see you next time. Bye-bye. All right, and back out here live, you can see the music is still going, at least for a couple more minutes here at FanFest. It will be closing up in a few minutes, but tomorrow for one final time, the gates will open here at FIFA FanFest in Atlanta right around 12.30. That's the latest from here. Live at Centennial Olympic Park, Rob DiRienzo, Fox 5 News. You know, I can't really imagine spending $30,000 on tickets when it looks so good on Fox 5, but to each his own, I'm glad to have so many great memories. Rob, thanks so much. The FBI is working with state authorities and Atlanta police to stop any threats to the public safety for tomorrow's match. Authorities say there are no specific threats, they simply want to be prepared, especially considering England and Argentina have a contentious history both on and off the field. Be prepared to see more law enforcement and resources in the area and extra street closures downtown as well. Security consultant Phil Carter predicts things will get rowdy at the end of the game. They had 100 arrests in England last match, just in Great Britain, and their team won. Just fights in the bars and different things. Officials will also continue to have eyes on the sky tomorrow. So far, 86 drones have been seized here in Atlanta during the tournament. Officials say the best advice is the old adage, if you see something, say something. The match kicks off at 3 p.m. tonight. Team England is already here in Metro Atlanta. Our Fox 5 cameras spotted their team bus when they arrived at the hotel earlier today. This will be England's second game here in Atlanta. It won a thrilling match against DR Congo in the round of 32 earlier this month. Again, there'll be a lot of road closures downtown for the match. All of the streets in red on your screen, that includes parts of Centennial Olympic Park Drive, Spring Street, Marietta Street, Lucky Street, Nassau Street, and Walton Street, officials say those road closures will be in effect from 10 in the morning through midnight. Now, if you don't have a ticket, you can still get in on the fun. There are many watch parties happening all across our area. We have this article on our website, fox5atlanta.com. I'm breaking them all down. We've got information about where each will happen, what they have to offer, and which team fans will be rooting for at that particular party.