FIFA called on DFW at the World Cup, and the Metroplex delivered
On Feb. 4, 2024, a large group of DFW’s most prominent sports names and voices arrived at AT&T Stadium for an expected celebration: Jerry Jones, Dirk Nowitzki, Emmitt Smith. All three mayors of Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington.
Early in the afternoon, FIFA was set to announce the venues for all 104 matches in the 2026 World Cup, and DFW was confident about its chances to land the ever-so-coveted World Cup final.
However, as the afternoon went on, expectations quickly dwindled before the ultimate announcement that New York/New Jersey would be awarded the final over a strong bid from DFW. The section of the AT&T Stadium concourse where the group of DFW sports faces and media had gathered was quickly silenced. But a worthy consolation prize awaited.
By the end of the afternoon, the group had learned that DFW would instead receive nine matches — more than any other site — and would land one of the two semifinals. Without landing the final, it was the next best possible outcome.
“Prepare to be a part of something truly special,” FC Dallas president Dan Hunt said. “The world is coming to our doorstep, and together, we will make history.”
When FIFA put the ball in DFW’s hands
In explaining its decision to make New York/New Jersey the site of the final, FIFA attributed the region’s large diverse population as a driving factor. While DFW does boast a diverse set of cultures and communities, few places in the world, if any, stack up with the Big Apple.
But just because DFW didn’t get the crown jewel of the tournament didn’t mean that FIFA wouldn’t entrust the area with important matches this summer.
A little over 22 months later in December 2025, FIFA announced the full list of group stage matches with venues and dates attached, giving DFW a strong case for the best slate across the board. World powers, the sport’s biggest superstars and historically rowdy fanbases were all sent to DFW to put on a show.
“If you can scream, jump up and down and cry all at the same time, I think that’s pretty much what we were experiencing,” Monica Paul, president of the North Texas World Cup Organizing Committee, said when the slate was revealed. “It was a very emotional day.”
From there, the work began on living up to FIFA’s expectations. And, boy, did DFW deliver.
Group stage saw crowds, superstars shine
From the very beginning, DFW had it figured out.
In the opening match, a logistical challenge presented itself in the form of the Netherlands’ orange army of fans that have been notorious for shutting down roads — whether you plan on it or not. In DFW’s case, a plan was put well into place.
The crowd was well controlled while still allowing the normal flow of traffic. And once they arrived in the stadium, a beautiful blend of passionate Dutch fans mixed with Japanese fans that created one of the best environments of the tournament.
Then, England and Croatia delivered a high-octane slugfest. Two Lionel Messi shows followed — including his setting of the all-time World Cup goals record. And when it came to crowds, who did it better in DFW than Argentina? Once again, DFW was ready to accommodate the challenge.
The birth of a world superstar in DFW
If you’re a soccer fan who only checks in for the World Cup every four years, you probably knew the big names coming into the tournament: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé. You maybe didn’t know the name Erling Haaland.
Norway’s elite 6-foot-5 goal scorer raced with some of the best in the battle for the Golden Boot in the tournament, given to the player with the most goals, and his performance in DFW put his name firmly on the world stage.
In the first knockout stage match in the venue, Haaland’s winner in the 86th minute over Ivory Coast offered a lens into Norway’s rich fan tradition, and the enigma that is Haaland himself. This is where DFW as a community really hit a grand slam.
From fans around the world trying the Metroplex’s best barbecue to exploring the Fort Worth Stockyards and hopping back on double-digit-hour flights with cowboy hats on, Haaland’s DFW experience encapsulated that completely.
After the knockout round win, Haaland visited Wild Bill’s Western Store in Downtown Dallas where he was pictured in a shirt that reads, “Y’all can kiss my Dallas” across the front. The viral moment quickly flooded social media and, in turn, sold out the shirt online within hours.
After Norway’s exit from the tournament, Haaland was pictured walking off the team plane in Oslo with another item from the store: a taxidermied raccoon holding a whiskey bottle that was for sale at the store for $750.
Of all the cities that Haaland and Norway visited during the tournament, it was clear that DFW made the biggest impact on the tournament’s emerging superstar.
“We exude the Dallas welcome, the southern hospitality. For him to want to come in and hang out is everything,” Cody Newport, the owner of the store, said.
If you wanted star power, you got every flavor
Even when the slate of matches was announced in December, it was hard to dream up a better scenario for DFW in the World Cup based on how the knockout matches shook out.
When it was all said and done, soccer and sports fans of all ages and flavors were catered to.
If you wanted to see the absolute best the sport had to offer, you got Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Mohamed Salah. If you wanted to see young emerging superstars, you got Lamine Yamal, Erling Haaland and Yan Diomande. If you wanted to see just pure ballplayers, you got Harry Kane, Virgil van Dijk and Jude Bellingham.
From a team perspective, DFW hosted all four semifinalists and the top seven goal scorers in the entire tournament. To nitpick, the only things you could say that DFW missed out on were a chance to host Brazil and the United States. But considering how both of those squads crashed and burned in the end, it probably worked out just fine.
When FIFA called on DFW to deliver with big-name matches and superstars, it’s hard to imagine that even they could’ve seen a slate so loaded. But that’s exactly what happened, and the area proved to be one of the tournament’s smashing successes.
What now for major sports in DFW?
When Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones was asked about AT&T Stadium not being awarded a Super Bowl since 2011, the son of Jerry Jones and president of the venue compared the World Cup slate to having “nine Super Bowls” in the stadium instead.
How motivated the Cowboys’ ownership group is to get the Super Bowl back to Arlington is up for debate, but the World Cup proved that any logistical or structural concerns that stemmed from a couple of hiccups back in 2011 no longer exist. For one of the best venues in sports, it’s capable of hosting anything.
And whether that’s a Super Bowl in the future, a college football national championship, a Final Four or anything else that the Jones family goes after in the coming decade, AT&T Stadium has proven this summer that it is not only one of the country’s best options.
It is now proven to be one of the world’s elite destinations.
So, if things don’t go well for New York/New Jersey on Sunday afternoon for the World Cup final, don’t be surprised if DFW is circled when the World Cup inevitably returns to the United States — possibly as soon as 2038.
As the past four weeks have shown, DFW will be here, and it will be ready.
This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 5:49 PM.
