Atlanta pulled off the World Cup in a way that felt proud, polished, and undeniably big-time. For a moment, it seemed like the whole city was sharing in something rare: the kind of attention that makes you stand a little taller and believe Atlanta can hold its own on the world stage.

But if you talk to Atlantans, especially the small business owners who were supposed to feel the boost, the feeling gets more complicated. The tournament brought excitement and visibility, but not everyone saw that promise turn into steady customers or lasting money in the register. That gap matters, because hype is one thing, but for a lot of people here, the real measure is whether the event actually changed their day-to-day reality.

So yes, the World Cup was a success in the larger civic sense, and Atlanta deserves credit for how well it showed up. Still, it leaves behind the same old question this city has lived with since the Olympics: when the lights fade and the crowds go home, who really got to keep the benefit?...