The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in North Texas at 3 p.m. Sunday with Japan vs. the Netherlands, the first of nine matches set for AT&T Stadium in Arlington over the next month.

From ticket controversies to traffic warnings, here’s what fans need to know before the tournament begins:

• Nine World Cup matches will be played at AT&T Stadium, rebranded as Dallas Stadium for the tournament. Nick Harris explains how events could unfold in North Texas, game-by-game, in his ultimate fan guide.
• We do things a little differently in North Texas, and columnist Mac Engel explains 10 things visiting fans should know to enjoy their stay here for the World Cup.
• The pitch (aka the field) sits 4.5 feet above the NFL field with hybrid sod grown in Colorado and reinforced with stitched artificial fibers. Turf official Ian Craig called the nine games at one venue an unprecedented maintenance challenge, Lawrence Dow reports.
• Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced an investigation into FIFA on June 9 after fans complained they were misled about ticket seat locations, with one fan reporting Category 1 seats were later reclassified as Category 2.
• FIFA’s first-ever use of dynamic pricing in the World Cup lottery system left some fans paying $430 per Category 4 ticket for seats just six rows from the top of the upper concourse, prompting Texas, New Jersey and California to investigate FIFA’s practices.
• Thousands of fans packed Fair Park in Dallas for the FIFA Fan Festival, where Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0 in the tournament’s opening match at a pavilion viewing area that holds up to 35,000 fans. Cal Phillips captured the scene.
• The United States dominated its World Cup opener with a 4-1 win over Paraguay, including two goals from forward Folarin Balogun, as fans packed Fair Park for a second straight day to watch the country’s first home World Cup since 1994.
• Hundreds of fans turned out at the newly built Mansfield Stadium for Czechia’s community training session ahead of the team’s first World Cup match against South Korea, marking Czechia’s first tournament appearance since 2006.
• Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth will broadcast all 104 matches during its “Summer of Soccer” celebration, with street closures running from June 10 to July 20 across Dallas, Arlington and Fort Worth.
• The tournament is expected to bring more than 3 million visitors to Dallas-Fort Worth, culminating in a semifinal at AT&T Stadium on July 14 — one of the biggest sporting events in North Texas history.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.