This year, the world converges on the center of the universe, Atlanta, for the biggest sporting event to exist, the World Cup.
But before a single match kicks off this summer, PUMA brought the party to the people. On Tuesday, March 31, the global sportswear brand hosted a community activation outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium ahead of the United States and Portugal friendly, drawing a crowd of more than 200 fans eager to celebrate Portuguese football culture and snag a piece of official kit.
The event, held at 285 Marietta St. NW, was organized by De-Yan, a creative production company, and featured live music from Portugal-based DJ Firmeza, who was flown in for the activation. The event gave attendees free food, including pastel de nata from Nata Atlanta and sardines imported from Portugal, merchandise giveaways, and an on-site jersey personalization truck. PUMA used the occasion to spotlight its 2026 Portugal National Team kit ahead of the summer tournament.
Colin Davis, senior producer at De-Yan, said the goal was less about moving product and more about building something real.
“We’re trying to promote the kit itself for Portugal, but also create an environment for Portuguese fans to come out and just celebrate the World Cup starting here in the U.S.,” Davis said. “We really wanted to create a community-driven space.”
The response exceeded expectations. A line of at least 150 people snaked across the parking lot before the event reached full swing, according to Ruben Rodrigues, director of retail & brand strategy at Unisport Soccer, which handled on-site jersey and scarf sales in partnership with PUMA and the Portuguese Football Federation.
“Prior to the madness, I counted 120, and there’s without a doubt that we reached an excess of 200,” Rodrigues said.
Home jerseys sold out quickly, though away kits, available in person for the first time, held on longer. By the time the activation wrapped roughly four and a half hours in, inventory was nearly gone, with only a handful of scarves remaining.
Rodrigues credited his Massachusetts-based staff, many of them of Portuguese descent, with keeping the crowd calm despite the intensity of demand.
“We brought a Massachusetts-based staff that’s largely Portuguese, so we were able to really connect with the audience,” he said. “That buys you a lot of time and patience from folks.”
Tuesday’s event was a scaled-up, Portugal-focused version of a larger PUMA activation held in New York earlier this year to celebrate kit reveals across all 11 PUMA nations. Davis said four trucks of Portugal-specific product replaced the single-nation approach from that event, amplifying the experience for the Atlanta crowd.
For Rodrigues, the afternoon served as both a commercial moment and a preview of what Atlanta should expect when the World Cup arrives.
“This is a microcosm of what’s to come,” he said. “When you see in the news and media that every match is the equivalent of a Super Bowl in local economic activity, it’s the absolute truth, and today was nothing but proof of that.”
Rodrigues, who completed a site visit to Mercedes-Benz Stadium six months ago, said he came away from this week with renewed confidence in Atlanta’s readiness, citing visible infrastructure improvements, enhanced public safety measures and improved foot traffic flow around the stadium.
“Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it looks like Atlanta has done a great job in preparation for the event,” he said.
Davis echoed that optimism, nodding to the stadium’s downtown footprint as a natural asset.
“The stadium’s just a block away, and it’s a downtown stadium, so it’s awesome,” he said. “Just really trying to get the fans out there, create that love for football, create new fans, and let old fans celebrate.”
