FIFA announced in February that AT&T Stadium in Arlington will host nine games in 2026 — the most of any venue among the 16 host cities across North America.
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The 2026 FIFA World Cup doesn’t kick off for another 17 months, but opportunities are already opening up for businesses to be part of an event that will have an estimated $2 billion economic impact on the Dallas-Fort Worth region.
FIFA announced in February that AT&T Stadium in Arlington will host nine games in 2026 — the most of any venue among the 16 host cities across the U.S., Mexico and Canada. More recently, Dallas City Council approved Dec. 11 up to $15 million in spending to prepare the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center for hosting the International Broadcast Center. Though not yet officially confirmed by FIFA, the TV and radio hub will bring thousands of media members from across the world to Dallas.
Officials were disappointed when AT&T Stadium didn’t get the World Cup’s championship. But with the most games of any site plus the likely broadcast center and as many as seven base camps for national teams sprinkled across DFW, it stands to reason that North Texas will find itself at the epicenter of the world’s most-watched sporting event.
“We didn’t win the final game, but we won the World Cup,” City Councilman Omar Narvaez said prior to voting in favor of the IBC spending.
Preparations for the World Cup have been well underway since FIFA announced the host cities, but now is the time for businesses to get involved in making the event happen. Locally, planners will need vendors and suppliers to help get the region ready. Hotels should already be working on bookings. Businesses will also have opportunities for sponsorships.
“We know that 2025 is an incredibly important year,” said Monica Paul, executive director of the Dallas Sports Commission and an instrumental figure in recruiting and preparing for the World Cup.
Currently, FIFA has a request for proposal out seeking companies to design and fit-out volunteer centers in all 16 host cities. In Dallas, the volunteer center will encompass 12,500 to 20,500 square feet. FIFA is also seeking information from suppliers specialized in large-scale projects to potentially provide furniture, fixtures and equipment.
Paul said she and host committee members are seeking corporate sponsors and about to embark on a fundraising campaign to secure donors and sell suites. FIFA has established a “host city supporter program” that allows each city to sign up as many as 10 companies as local sponsors. So far, Paul said the Dallas host committee has already conducted “preliminary meetings and communications” with McDonald’s, Anheuser Bush, Bank of America, Visa, Choctaw, Coca-Cola, Southwest Airlines, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Frito Lay.
The host committee was set to host its first “donor event” on Dec. 12, where it looked to sign up companies and individuals for access to suites through either a nine-match series or a four-match series. Selling those suites will be crucial to funding all of the other things the host committee wants to do, including advancing programs around the World Cup that can have impacts in communities around Dallas long after the event is over.
“This is the first opportunity coming out here for people to be able to purchase those suites, and have our priority access and priority window,” Paul said. “I think it’s very important for us, from a funding standpoint, to be able to cover the cost of not only hosting the World Cup, but also those legacy elements that are very important to all of the communities.”
FIFA will continue to issue RFPs as needs arise, Paul said. Other opportunities include:
- Fleet depot – FIFA officials came in for site visits on Nov. 26 to view Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie and a potential secondary option at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport for a fleet depot. Staff and infrastructure will be needed for the depot.
- Ticket centers – FIFA is looking at putting ticket centers at Eddie Bernice Johnson Union Station or the existing Greyhound terminal in downtown Dallas. Paul said the host committee is currently continuing to identify other locations throughout DFW for a smaller ticket center.
- Accommodations – FIFA is working with hotels right now to contract blocks of rooms and lock in rates. Paul said the host committee hosted a virtual town hall meeting with more than 350 hotels and regional convention and visitors bureau representatives in attendance.
- Fan festival – A fan festival will take place throughout the World Cup in Dallas’ Fair Park. Paul said the festival needs to be open 39 consecutive days and will have “activations” on days when games aren’t being played, such as a concert series. She said the host committee wants the festival to be “something that really says Dallas and the DFW area,” perhaps channeling a bit of the vibe of the State Fair of Texas Midway. “I want to make sure that our international guests feel welcome there but then also a great place for our local residents to celebrate as well.”
During the World Cup itself, officials expect restaurants and retailers around Dallas to see a big boost. The international teams participating in the World Cup will also have base camps across all 16 host cities, with as many as seven being located in DFW. Each potential base camp consists of a training venue and a paired hotel.
Potential sites in DFW include:
- Dallas Baptist University, paired with the Westin Dallas Downtown
- Toyota Stadium and the Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West
- University of Dallas and the Omni Las Colinas Hotel
- Texas Christian University and the Sheraton Fort Worth Downtown Hotel
- University of North Texas and Embassy Suites by Hilton Denton Convention Center
Paul said DFW will have the opportunity to submit two more sites in the first quarter of 2025, with Southern Methodist University and the Cotton Bowl as the likely choices.
In addition to the opportunities for businesses, Paul said the World Cup has already provided a boost to DFW because she has started to receive calls from other sporting events interested in coming to Dallas.
“We know that there’s increased opportunity … to book future events, large or small,” Paul said. “While I don’t know the length of time that that residual from the World Cup will last, I do know there are other opportunities and it’s upon us to be able to seize that.”
