The announcement that AT&T Stadium would host nine matches in the 2026 World Cup but not the World Cup Final drew mixed reactions from soccer fans across the Metroplex.
But businesses involved in the DFW soccer scene are already looking forward to a huge boost from World Cup visitors.
Soccer can be a game of near misses. On Sunday, some fans in DFW felt like the ball didn’t bounce their way.
“Disappointed, extremely disappointed,” said Christopher Mangena. “Because I really thought it would come down here, given the infrastructure that Dallas has.”
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During a live broadcast on Sunday afternoon, soccer’s international governing body, FIFA, released the full schedule for the 2026 World Cup.
Arlington’s AT&T Stadium was chosen to host nine World Cup matches, more than any other city in the tournament, and to play host to a semifinal game.
But the World Cup Final was awarded to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, leaving some fans in the DFW area feeling conflicted.
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“A lot. There are so many rabid fans in the Dallas area. I’m sure they will all be sold out,” said Mesha Malupi. “The only disappointment is about the Final.”
The announcement came as a visible shock to fans who watched the schedule reveal at The Londoner pub in Addison.
That’s because the British tabloid The Sun reported that the Final would be played at AT&T Stadium last month.
“We’re disappointed the final won’t be here. Definitely; I think there’d been a lot of talks that it would be,” said Siobhan Hartley, assistant manager at The Londoner. “But it’s just great for Dallas that we’re going to have so many games here, that really is exciting.”
While some fans may have been feeling deflated, businesses in the DFW soccer scene told NBC5 they were looking forward to nine World Cup crowds.
The Londoner pub said historically, they’ve seen more business on days when high-profile soccer matches have come to AT&T Stadium.
They’ve already started thinking about how to handle the hundreds of thousands of fans expected to descend on DFW to take part in the sport’s biggest stage.
“Get a lot of beer in. Think about lots of easy food items to be able to have,” Hartley said. “And just really plan accordingly, making sure that we advertise on Facebook and social media platforms so people know what time to get here.”
