For the first time since 1994, the World Cup is coming back to DFW. Dallas has won its bid to be a host city for the 2026 World Cup, which will be played in stadiums at major cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
It’s official. DFW gets a @FIFAWorldCup 2026 bid. Reaction to the announcement in downtown Dallas, including from @FCDallas President Dan Hunt. pic.twitter.com/ETmrP3oX2D
— Mike Doocy (@MikeDoocyFox4) June 16, 2022
As many of you can guess, AT&T Stadium in Arlington will be the host venue.
Despite the excitement, there are still many unknowns. The “who, what and when” are yet to be answered. We do not know which teams will be playing in Dallas, what round in the competition they will be, when they will be played and how many games will be held here in North Texas. These questions will not be answered until we get closer to the actual tournament.
But we can try to answer one age-old question: "How much?"
For reference, Dallas made over $74 million during the 1994 World Cup, when the Cotton Bowl hosted six matches, but as reported by D Magazine, the 2026 world cup is estimated to make over $400 million in DFW with more than 3,000 jobs contributing to that.
For further reference, this year's Wrestlemania, which brought 75,000 fans for one weekend in March, delivered an estimated $250 million to local businesses, according to the people who estimate these things — promoters, mainly, one suspects.
And for further, further reference, or for those of you watching your salt intake, you can check out these stories by former Observer staffer Stephen Young:
College Football Playoff Will Bring DFW $300 Million — Carried on the Backs of Unicorns
Country Music Awards Will Not Bring DFW $123 Million. More Like $139.2 Kajillion.
No, Wrestlemania Is Not Going to Inject $139 Million Into DFW Economy
(The TLDR: Estimates of a massive, local economic impact of one-off entertainment events are often what some economists would call, if they were any fun, a load of happy horse shit.)
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was one of the leading voices in bringing the World Cup to Dallas. During a press conference held in the AT&T Discovery District following the host city announcements, Jones said, “Our region is known for delivering a world-class sports experience, and FIFA World Cup 2026 will fit perfectly within that framework. We’re thrilled that the committee has selected Dallas as a host city and can’t wait to once again showcase our region on a global stage.”
FC Dallas owner and Dallas 2026 host city bid chairman and president Dan Hunt is also excited to bring the World Cup to North Texas.
“There is no greater sporting event in the world than the FIFA World Cup,” Hunt says. “We are thrilled that FIFA has selected Dallas as a host city for the North American bid, and FC Dallas is proud to play an important part in this process.”
The Observer also spoke with Kevin Hudson, the head coach and a graduate of Southern Methodist University's soccer program.
“You can’t help but be inspired by watching and being immersed in that sort of environment and culture,” Hudson says. “You expect to see an increase in popularity and growth of the game. … It already is the most popular sport for youth in America, and I think it can only help expand that reach.”
Hudson sees a wide range of benefits that come from hosting the World Cup.
“The different types of people, everybody it brings and the tourism, the camaraderie, the unity of people all together for the sport that they love, and all of those things that are so great about the game,” he says. “The growth of the sport in the area and the facility growth and everything else that comes along with hosting an event like this.”
FIFA officially announced all the Mexican and Canadian cities and the 11 U.S. host cities on Thursday afternoon. They also include Houston, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Atlanta, Seattle, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Missouri and Boston.
