10 things visiting fans should know about World Cup in Arlington (not Dallas)
To the Japanese, Dutch, Swiss, English, Danish, French, Aussie, Argentine, Jordanian, Kiwi and the rest of our brothers and sisters who have drained their bank accounts who plan to watch the 2026 World Cup here in DFW, welcome — please have your credit card and three-digit PIN ready.
After years of buildup, the suspense is over and the 2026 World Cup begins this week when Japan plays the Netherlands on June 14 at Arlington Stadium.
What visitors to DFW need to know for the World Cup
1. It’s soccer. Deal with it. America is a nation built on the principles of independent expression and choice, and we are the last people to tell someone how to live their lives, or intervene in yours. Unless, of course, we need to do all of the above.
Here, football is football. And soccer is soccer. End of discussion.
2. The surplus of orange cones all over our roads and highways are not for the Netherlands.
These orange cones and barrels that decorate our roads are frustrating for all of us; they are also signs of growth that exist because people want to live here.
The orange cones exist because we can’t keep up with all of the people who are moving to this region.
3. This isn’t hot.
Nothing brings together Texans like our collective ability to celebrate that we think 94 degrees in the summer is “sweater weather.” Consider yourself fortunate that this World Cup is in June and July rather than August through the first week of September.
Right now we are warming up.
4. If you must walk, do it in Fort Worth
Save for New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston and maybe Seattle, America is not great for pedestrians.
In our sprawling backyard, the best places to use your feet are in downtown Fort Worth, and Fort Worth’s Stockyards. This is not some case of hometown bias; it’s a fact.
5. Our bathrooms are free.
This detail alone makes America the best nation on earth.
Unlike Europe, or other continents where someone who has “got to go, or bad things will happen,” you will not have to pay, or fake your way into an establishment, to use a toilet.
Do not abuse this privilege. Nothing is more important than the ability to easily access a toilet in “great time of need.”
6. Do not expect to see actual cowboys.
Foreign, and sometimes domestic, travelers often believe that shortly after landing at DFW Airport they will see authentic cowboys wearing their Stetsons and chaps atop their tamed mustang riding their way through life.
The cowboy routine in DFW is mostly a harmless extension of Halloween, and/or people trying too hard.
7. Public transportation is not our thing.
Pretty sure a lot of people in DFW believe that mass transit is a marketing gimmick created by the train and bus companies that want to take your money, and rob you of your freedom.
With limited exception, we don’t do trains or buses. Not sure how a train became a scourge for this region, but decisions made decades ago by people who are no longer with us explain how we arrived at a destination that does not change.
8. AT&T Stadium is as good as there is.
Regardless of what FIFA wants to call it, AT&T Stadium in Arlington remains the class of sports venues in this country. It is the single biggest reason why DFW was selected to host a World Cup-high nine matches in this tournament.
Credit Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ vision for making this venue not only big and elaborate but state-of-the-art. It opened in 2009, and has not aged.
9. We know. We know. The traffic is awful.
Unless you can plan your drives from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., prepare to sit in traffic up to and including delays in the driveway. It’s a part of life. And it’s still not as bad here as it is in Houston, Austin or Los Angeles.
10. Don’t ask us about the Luka trade.
We don’t get it either. And we’re not over it.
