World Cup draw: DFW given top-tier matches, including Argentina twice
The world’s biggest sporting event is coming to Dallas-Fort Worth, and the road to the FIFA World Cup began in earnest Friday with the official draw in Washington.
Fort Worth fans and local dignitaries followed the news from a draw watch party at Billy Bob’s, one of several events in the area.
After a long preshow, the 48-team field was distributed into 12 four-team groups.
Each team will play the other three teams in its group in the “group stage” of the tournament. The top two teams in each group, plus the eight best third-place teams, will advance to the 32-team “knockout round,” a single-elimination tournament that will play to the eventual winner.
AT&T Stadium in Arlington will host nine tournament matches — five in the group stage and four in the knockout round, including a semifinal July 14.
For more details on the draw process, check out this story and watch the video above.
The full match schedule was released Saturday.
An early breakdown of the matches here
The Star-Telegram’s Nick Harris has an early look at the teams and matchups coming to AT&T Stadium.
Expect much more coverage in the months ahead.
As good as Dallas-Fort Worth could have hoped?
It’s hard for local fans to be upset with this schedule. Top seeds playing in four of the matches: Argentina twice, England and the Netherlands.
Well, Star-Telegram columnist Mac Engel has some concerns about England.
The only group stage match not involving a top seed is Japan vs. a playoff winner to be determined (Ukraine, Sweden, Poland or Albania). But that will be Japan’s second match at AT&T Stadium, and it should have a strong contingent staying in DFW in the group stage.
Full AT&T Stadium group stage schedule
June 14: Netherlands vs. Japan (Group F), 3 p.m.
June 17: England vs. Croatia (Group L), 3 p.m.
June 22: Argentina vs. Austria (Group J), noon
June 25: Japan vs. playoff team TBD* (Group F), 6 p.m.
June 27: Argentina vs. Jordan (Group J), 9 p.m.*
In Group F, the final spot is being determined by a playoff among Ukraine, Sweden, Poland and Albania.
Lionel Messi is coming to Dallas-Fort Worth
Defending champion Argentina will play two matches in DFW, against Austria at noon June 22 and against Jordan at 9 p.m. June 27.
Lionel Messi, perhaps the greatest soccer player in history, has not confirmed that he will play in this World Cup, but he has said that he will attend the matches, at a minimum.
First match at AT&T Stadium is set
The first 2026 World Cup match in Dallas-Fort Worth will be the Netherlands vs. Japan at 3 p.m. CST June 14.
Check out the rest of the AT&T Stadium schedule here, as the matchups are released.
Here’s the match schedule for the U.S. team
The U.S. national team has its World Cup match schedule confirmed:
June 12: vs. Paraguay, 8 p.m. at Los Angeles
June 19: vs. Australia, 2 p.m. at Seattle
June 25: vs. playoff team TBD, 9 p.m. at Los Angeles
Schedule release has begun
The schedule release show has started. Organizers said they are going to go alphabetically by group.
The groups with matches in DFW are F, J and L.
Awaiting World Cup schedule release
Dallas-Fort Worth soccer fans found out which teams could be coming to AT&T Stadium for the World Cup in Friday’s draw. Now they’ll find out which teams will be coming here.
The official World Cup match schedule is expected to be released shortly after 11 a.m. Saturday. We’ll see if there is another hour-and-a-half preshow to get through.
Check back here for updates, and take a look at all of our World Cup coverage from Friday collected below:
Mac Engel’s take: Let’s keep the British out of this
Star-Telegram columnist Mac Engel says the draw went as well as could be expected, except for the chance that England could come here for a group stage match.
It’s not about the team; it’s about England’s fans and its notorious press corps.
“The Brits are wonderful people, and those accents can cover a wide array of boorish behaviors,” Engel writes. “British football fans, and the British press corps, however, are not the same as British people. They’re different. Don’t ask how.”
Mac isn’t sure how the Brits will cope with our summer heat, traffic and minimal public transportation.
Read his full column on the draw here.
Hundreds of fans pour into Billy Bob’s for draw event
The draw watch party at Billy Bob’s Texas attracted fans from South America and Mexico in addition to Dallas-Fort Worth.
Star-Telegram reporter Lawrence Dow asked fans about their favorite World Cup memories and whether they planned to attend next year’s event.
Check out his report, along with photos from Chris Torres.
World Cup ticket prices for AT&T Stadium matches rise after draw
Hoping to attend one of the World Cup matches in North Texas? It’s going to cost you.
After the draw revealed a strong possibility of Argentina and/or England coming to AT&T Stadium, prices shot up by several hundred dollars on resale sites.
Here’s the latest info.
Looking back at the last time North Texas hosted the World Cup
The World Cup has come to North Texas before, in 1994.
The Cotton Bowl hosted six matches, including Brazil’s victory over the Netherlands in the quarterfinals. Brazil went on to defeat Italy and win the World Cup.
Here’s a look back at DFW’s first time on soccer’s biggest stage.
DFW fans could get chance to see Lionel Messi
As detailed below, there’s a good chance defending World Cup champion Argentina will play a group stage match at AT&T Stadium, and that means there’s a good chance Lionel Messi, regarded as perhaps the greatest soccer player of all time, could be here as well.
Messi, who will turn 39 during the tournament, has not confirmed that he will play in the World Cup after achieving the crowning glory of his career with the 2022 title.
“I hope I can be there. I’ve said before that I’d love to be there,” Messi told ESPN recently, adding: “At worst, I’ll be there watching it live, but it will be special.”
So will he be on the pitch or in the stands at AT&T Stadium? We’ll soon find out.
Breaking down AT&T Stadium possibilities
The draw is complete.
Here’s a closer look at which teams could be coming to AT&T Stadium for the group stage.
The matches on these days will be between two of the four teams listed in each group. In Group F, the final spot is being determined by a playoff among Ukraine, Sweden, Poland and Albania.
June 14: Group F (Netherlands, Japan, playoff team TBD and Tunisia)
June 17: Group L (England, Croatia, Ghana and Panama)
June 22: Group J (Argentina, Algeria, Austria and Jordan)
June 25: Group F (Netherlands, Japan, playoff team TBD and Tunisia)
June 27: Group J (Argentina, Algeria, Austria and Jordan)
Heavy hitters could be coming to AT&T Stadium
Some of the world’s most famous teams could be coming to AT&T Stadium for the group stage.
Defending champion Argentina (Group J), England (Group L) and the Netherlands (Group F) are leading groups who will be playing matches in Arlington.
That doesn’t guarantee they are playing here, but it is a strong possibility.
The actual draw has finally begun
12:25 p.m.: After an hour and 25 minutes of preshow festivities, the World Cup draw is finally underway.
The full draw results can be found here, with groups updated as they are announced.
Ceremonial draw with world leaders
U.S. President Donald Trump, Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canada Prime Minster Mark Carney performed a ceremonial draw, with each “randomly” pulling their own country from a pot of balls.
After Carney selected Canada and Sheinbaum pulled Mexico, Trump joked that he had a good idea which country he would draw.
Mexico is in Group A, Canada in Group B and the U.S. in Group D.
TCU at Billy Bob’s watch party
TCU football head coach Sonny Dykes is among the attendees at the watch party at Billy Bob’s.
TCU athletic director Mike Buddie said on social media that Dykes “was spreading the gospel of Horned Frog Athletics.”
Dykes just completed his fourth season at the helm with an 8-4 record and just secured 21 new recruits on Early Signing Day.
FIFA Peace Prize awarded to President Donald Trump
11:27 a.m.: FIFA just announced that its 2025 FIFA Peace Prize has been awarded to Trump.
Trump is now onstage, receiving a trophy, medal and certificate.
“The world is a safer place now,” Trump said about actions taken during his presidency.
President Trump in attendance
11:18 a.m.: Officials are in no rush to reveal the teams. FIFA president Gianni Infantino just gave a long introduction, including welcoming President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump to the Kennedy Center.
Infantino said the World Cup is like “104 Super Bowls.”
Next up is a musical performance from Robbie Williams and Nicole Scherzinger.
Presumably, the World Cup draw will follow.
Starting with some music
11 a.m.: The draw — or at least the draw event — has begun with a performance from singer Andrea Bocelli.
A few minutes away
We’re closing in on the start of the start of the draw at 11 a.m. Check back here for updates.
Which teams are playing at AT&T Stadium?
We don’t know yet, and we won’t even know today. The full match schedule won’t be released until 11 a.m. Saturday.
But we can narrow down the possible teams quite a bit after the draw.
As mentioned above, AT&T Stadium is hosting five group stage matches, and we know which groups will be hosted in each match.
June 14: Group F
June 17: Group L
June 22: Group J
June 25: Group F
June 27: Group J
So the groups for DFW soccer fans to watch are F, J and L. Two of the four teams in those groups will be playing in the games listed above.
The U.S., Canada and Mexico aren’t coming to DFW (for now)
Before the draw, we already know that Canada has been placed in Group A, Mexico in Group B and the U.S. in Group D, so we know those teams won’t play at AT&T Stadium during the group stage.
AT&T Stadium will host these two matches in the round of 32 in the knockout round:
June 30: Group E runner-up vs. Group I runner-up
July 3: Group D runner-up vs. Group G runner-up
That means, if the U.S. finishes second in Group D, it would play here on July 3, the day before Independence Day. Fans can hope.
AT&T Stadium will also host a round of 16 match:
July 6: Group K runner-up or Group L runner-up vs. Group H winner or Group J runner-up
And then finally a semifinal:
July 14: Could be virtually any two teams in the field
How to watch the draw
The official World Cup organizing committee is hosting a draw watch party at Billy Bob’s. The Star-Telegram will have several journalists on hand to capture the moment.
But there are other options. Check out this list.
The draw will also be televised on Fox.
Dallas-Fort Worth to serve as teams’ ‘base camps’
DFW will also host several teams throughout the tournament, serving as their “base camp” for the event.
FIFA, international soccer’s governing body, has released a list of hotels teams could use during their stay.
So if you’re looking to catch a glimpse of some of the world’s best players, this could be a place to start.
Fort Worth expects visitors seeking ‘authentic Texas experience’
Soccer fans turned out Friday morning, to the tune of roughly 1,500 people, to watch the World Cup draw at Billy Bob’s in the Fort Worth Stockyards. And while we don’t yet know which teams will play in Arlington this summer (that will be announced Saturday), new Fort Worth Sports Commissioner Drew Hays was on hand watching the proceedings with anticipation.
In his role with the Fort Worth Sports Commission, which is part of Visit Fort Worth, the city’s tourism arm, Hays’ job is to market Fort Worth as a premier destination for athletic competitions and sports fans.
With nine matches taking place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington (which will temporarily be renamed Dallas Stadium during the World Cup), Hays believes Fort Worth is well positioned to attract a fair number of the hundreds of thousands of people who are expected to descend upon North Texas once the tournament kicks off in June.
“We feel like visitors will have a great interest in our city based on it being the Texas you want, when you think about that true, authentic Texas experience,” said Hays.
This story was originally published December 5, 2025 at 9:47 AM.
