Dallas, Jerry Jones ‘win’ in FIFA World Cup announcement. Arlington finishes third
READ MORE
2026 World Cup is coming to Arlington
The ten American venues picked include Arlington’s AT&T Stadium.
Expand All
As FIFA announced that it is coming to North Texas for its 2026 World Cup, somewhere Laura Miller gave her self a fist bump while Jerry Jones contemplated buying another $200 million yacht.
As expected, JerryWorld will soon add “World Cup match” to the events it has hosted since opening in 2009. Because the event will be held in the summer, there is a decent chance the matches will not be affected by snow, sleet, or ice.
The real concern is ERCOT, and whether the matches will need to be played at 79 degrees to accommodate our power grid. #TexasTough
On Thursday, the legal cartel known as the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) formally announced the sites for the 2026 World Cup that is to be held across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
The announcement read: “DALLAS FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 HOST CITY”
Per the press release issued by the Dallas Sports Commission, Thursday’s news was, “One of the biggest announcements ever in the city of Dallas.”
Yes, amid the celebration at AT&T Discovery District in downtown Dallas on Thursday afternoon, you might have missed that the actual World Cup matches won’t be played in Dallas.
They will be played in Arlington.
Arlington, Texas.
You remember?
It’s the city that fronted Jerry Jones $325 million in 2004 to help build his Fortress of Revenue. The city that never gets its due while the surrounding communities benefit more without the expense.
In order, your local winners of the FIFA announcement are:
(Writer’s Note: FIFA is always the biggest winner. There is no organization in sports that sets up a more lucrative arrangement like FIFA’s World Cup, and that includes Liberty Media’s Formula 1, and the IOC’s Olympics).
Gold: Jerry Jones.
When it comes to generating cash in sports, there is Jerry Jones, and then there is everyone else.
Even while his football team piles up mediocre, disappointing seasons, he remains the standard in generating a profit.
Hosting multiple World Cup matches is akin to hosting multiple Super Bowls.
All 80,000 seats will be occupied; at least. Expect the venue to open up for more ticket sales.
There is no more dedicated, loyal, and slightly crazed sports fan like the international soccer zealot who will liquidate all of his family’s assets to watch their country finish nil-nil in a Group play match against Tajikstan.
Ticket prices for a World Cup match should be not be sold at the AT&T Stadium box office but Tiffanys, or a Lloyds of London auction.
The price of a good ticket to a first round 2022 World Cup match in Qatar is $617. The next level down is $438.
The city of Arlington’s agreement with the Cowboys is $2 million a year in rent, parking and sales tax-related revenue.
The majority of the rest goes to the Dallas Cowboys.
Silver: Dallas
With Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson’s efforts to land one NFL team to actually play in Dallas all but dead, he instead is on to the World Cup.
Shortly after Thursday’s announcement, he tweeted: “Another huge win for Dallas! We are thrilled — and we are READY to help host the biggest sporting event in the world, the World Cup. Now, let’s make sure we get some of the action to @fairparkdallas! #Dallas2026”
A note to tourists from England, Italy, Argentina, Japan and Croatia, Fair Park is not exactly Disney World. More like Chuck E. Cheese that needs a face-lift.
When Jerry was looking to build a new stadium in the early part of the century, he could not find a deal with then Dallas Mayor Laura Miller.
As DFW has steadily morphed into one giant parking lot, and conglomeration of cities between Frisco to Dallas to Arlington to Fort Worth, her reluctance to give the Cowboys a dime looks better every day.
Any time a major event comes to AT&T Stadium, the city mentioned is always, “Dallas.”
Any time a major event comes to AT&T Stadium, the vast majority of the tourist traffic and money flows to Dallas. Some goes to Frisco, and Fort Worth, too.
Because Arlington simply doesn’t have the toys, hotels, bars and restaurants to attract tourists.
Dallas received a disproportionate share of the benefits of AT&T Stadium without any of the costs.
Bronze: Arlington
Whether AT&T Stadium was worth the money for the Arlington tax payers has no answer.
The city will say yes, because it must.
As expected, the immediate area around the venue improved; the facility has attracted a Super Bowl, a Final Four, two WWE Wrestlemanias, an NBA All-Star game, a College Football national title game, major concerts, and other events.
Now a World Cup.
From a venue standpoint, AT&T Stadium does what is supposed to do.
As expected, the venue itself doesn’t do much for the majority of Arlington residents. Drive five minutes in either direction from the stadium, and its impact is nonexistent, even if the people who live there helped to foot some of the bill.
The schools, infrastructure, and other public related facilities still have the same problems. That’s the way it is with most stadium ventures.
From a visibility standpoint, however, AT&T Stadium ultimately does little for Arlington.
Because everyone from the WWE to FIFA thinks it’s in Dallas.
This story was originally published June 16, 2022 at 5:09 PM.
.JPG)
