What are the chances the U.S. men’s national team plays a World Cup match in Atlanta?

However, if the Americans finish first in the group ahead of Paraguay, Australia and Turkey — forget it. There would be no route for the Group D winner to play at “Atlanta Stadium.”

Paths that could see the Stars and Stripes in Atlanta

Round of 16

There are a couple of things that need to happen here. First, the USMNT needs to finish second in the group. That would put the U.S. in Match 88 against the Group G runners-up in the round of 32 in Dallas.

If the United States advances past the first knockout round, then Christian Pulisic, Tim Ream, Tyler Adams and company will play the winners of Match 86 in Atlanta on July 7.

Semifinals

If the Americans get a boost from being a host nation and make it all the way to the semifinals, there are two ways the USMNT could find itself in Atlanta.

First, in that same Group D second-place position, the USMNT could advance into the quarterfinals in Kansas City, Missouri and then again in Atlanta in the semifinals on July 15.

Yes, meaning the USMNT could play twice in Atlanta on this route.

So, if you’re hoping to catch the national team locally, perhaps root for Atlanta United’s Miguel Almirón and Paraguay to finish at the top of the group.

The second, and less likely, path to the semifinals is through finishing third in the group. This becomes more complicated because not every third-place team will advance to the knockout round. Of 12 groups, eight third-place teams advance past the first stage. Those teams will advance based on points, goal difference, goals scored, team conduct score and FIFA world ranking, according to FIFA.

The Group D third-place team could potentially end up in three different locations. The path to Atlanta is through Match 87. That would take the USMNT to Kansas City in the round of 32, Seattle in the round of 16, back to Arrowhead Stadium in the quarterfinal and finally to Atlanta in the semifinal.

A third-place team advancing to the penultimate match is quite the uphill battle, especially as the USMNT has never made it that far in a World Cup. We’ll see how it all unfolds on June 12 when the United States plays its opening match against Paraguay at 9 p.m. ET.