To the rest of the world, Arlington's AT&T Stadium will be known as Dallas Stadium during the month-long 2026 World Cup.
On Sunday, FIFA announced Dallas would host nine matches during the 2026 World Cup, the most of any city among the three host nations, including five games in the group stage, three knockout round matches and a semifinal.
While events related to the World Cup are likely to be held all over North Texas, the nine World Cup matches will be played at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, which is in Arlington.
Tucked into a news release was a line that said AT&T Stadium in Arlington would be renamed Dallas Stadium during the World Cup to satisfy a FIFA policy of not allowing corporate sponsorships on competition venues. With the Dallas '26 bid for the World Cup being named after the region's largest city, the name of the competition venue will follow suit.
The temporary name isn't sitting well with some.
On social media, one user wrote, "It's not even in Dallas County for crying out loud." Another posted, "I'm surprised they didn't try to rename Arlington while they were at it," while a third commented, "Tarrant County I say we Protest!"
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For Arlington Mayor Jim Ross, the decision to use the Dallas name over Arlington in marketing the games makes sense and it's one he said on Sunday that he's fine with.
"Dallas is the biggest city in North Texas. It makes logical sense to call it the Dallas World Cup. It doesn't phase me, it doesn't bother me. I don't care," Ross said. "They're playing in Arlington but they're staying and practicing all over North Texas so we're all going to get the benefit of it and we're good with that."
Ross added that it was a community-wide effort that worked on and secured the World Cup bid, not just the work of Arlington leaders, and that many North Texas cities will benefit from Arlington hosting the games.
"We have the best community in the country here in North Texas. I think with those nine games FIFA and the world will see why we got more games than anybody else. Not one of us could have done this [sic] alone," Ross said.
Ross specifically complimented Monica Paul and her team with the Dallas Sports Commission for how hard they worked to land the region's World Cup bid.
"This was a wonderful community effort, so I'll thank all of my colleagues and everything for the work their communities have put into this because in North Texas we're better together and I think us getting nine games is proof of that," Ross said.
A public relations firm handling media for the Dallas bid told NBC 5 that the Dallas Stadium name is a placeholder and could change.
The renaming of sponsored stadiums will happen elsewhere. MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which will host the World Cup Final, will be renamed New York New Jersey Stadium.
The 2026 World Cup begins June 11, 2026, in Mexico City, Mexico. The first game in Arlington will be played on Sunday, June 14, 2026. Hoping to score a ticket? You'll need to register your interest first -- that can be done at this link.
