The World Cup is coming to Arlington. So why is FIFA calling it Dallas Stadium?
For decades, North Texans have known the home of the Dallas Cowboys as AT&T Stadium, or simply Jerry World. But during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the venue will go by a different name: Dallas Stadium.
The temporary rebrand has sparked confusion and debate online because the stadium sits in Arlington, not Dallas.
“What’s cool about this is it manages to piss off people from both Arlington and Dallas,” one Reddit user wrote.
Another questioned whether the name could blur city lines, writing, “Ehhh. I’m not sure if I want people to think that Arlington is Dallas.”
The answer behind the name change has less to do with geography and more to do with FIFA’s sponsorship rules for World Cup host venues.
Here’s why AT&T Stadium is being renamed and what changes to expect when the tournament begins.
Why is AT&T Stadium being renamed Dallas Stadium?
FIFA policies don’t allow World Cup venues to use corporate-sponsored names during the tournament.
The organization says the rule helps protect sponsorship agreements with companies that pay to be official World Cup partners while preventing what’s known as ambush marketing.
“Marketing activities by non-sponsor companies that seek to take advantage of the huge public interest in the event through physical on-site presence in or around event sites (e.g. stadiums) qualify as ambush marketing,” FIFA wrote. “The common denominator of such prohibited marketing activities is that they primarily seek free advertising.”
Because AT&T isn’t one of FIFA’s official World Cup sponsors, the company’s name can’t be used as part of the stadium’s tournament branding.
Why is it called Dallas Stadium if the venue is in Arlington?
Once FIFA removes a corporate-sponsored stadium name, it replaces it with a location-based name for the tournament.
The organization typically uses the largest recognizable city near the venue, which is why AT&T Stadium will be known as Dallas Stadium, according to Star-telegram news partner WFAA.
The same approach is being used elsewhere. MetLife Stadium will become New York New Jersey Stadium, Mercedes-Benz Stadium will become Atlanta Stadium and Lumen Field will become Seattle Stadium.
AT&T has held the venue’s naming rights since 2013.
What changes will fans notice at the stadium during the World Cup?
Crews have already started covering AT&T branding around the stadium ahead of the tournament.
Signage on the sides of the stadium has already been covered, and rooftop AT&T logos are expected to be hidden as part of FIFA’s tournament preparations.
Those changes are part of FIFA’s requirement that World Cup venues operate as “clean stadiums,” where branding from companies that aren’t official tournament sponsors is removed or covered during the event.
For visitors, that means the stadium could look noticeably different from what Cowboys fans are used to seeing on game days.
