It has been an incredible year for soccer fans in North Texas.
From the world's greatest soccer players, including Lionel Messi, coming to Frisco and Arlington to hosting North America's biggest soccer tournament and hopes of hosting the FIFA men's World Cup semi-finals and final in 2026 – the momentum has been unstoppable for Major League Soccer and the impacts on the region.
These are the moments FC Dallas president Dan Hunt has helped pave the way for in North Texas.
“It's been that moment I think we've all been waiting for,” he said in a one-on-one interview with NBC 5. “You wait for these moments in time or you work really hard to get to these moments in time and you sort of see everything coming together. And it's not just FC Dallas, everything is coming together in Major League Soccer.”
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Messi Madness earlier in August brought a taste of what’s to come for soccer fans as North Texas prepares for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
When Messi and Inter Miami played FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium for a round of the League’s Cup, tickets sold out within 10 minutes. The reaction since then has been interesting, to say the least.
"In the last three weeks since that game, we've had record-breaking season ticket sales for 2024. We've never had three weeks like this ever,” said Hunt. “And what I think happened is we introduced a lot of people to FC Dallas and our great product – or reintroduced a lot of fans to that and I think they came back on board. The other data point is the Apple data. When you look at the viewership numbers, the subscriber data, it's astronomical and how it's ticked up.”
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The outreach goes beyond the fandom and streaming and into the recruitment potential.
"Since Lionel Messi has come to Major League Soccer, the number of international players who are interested in coming to MLS and specifically FC Dallas – we have inbound traffic like we've never seen before,” said Hunt. “Our transfer window is obviously closed, but we're now planning for the January transfer window and what players we're going to bring. But he was a great marketing campaign for showing those players in Europe – fabulous players who are still at the peak of their careers – that MLS is a viable option for them.”
CARRYING A LEGACY
The soccer star who sent North Texas into soccer fever this month helped bring Inter Miami to an exciting win this week toward the finals for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – which so happens to be named after Dan Hunt’s father, a legend in American sports.
Lamar Hunt is widely regarded as a founder and major promoter of American football, soccer and tennis – he’s even named as a hall of famer in each of those sports. The elder Hunt is also responsible for coining the term "Super Bowl" and helped bring the FIFA World Cup to Dallas in 1994.
Without him, Dan said soccer as we know it wouldn’t be the same.
"Without the World Cup and without the influence it had on my father, soccer would not be here in North Texas or I think it would be generations behind,” said Hunt. “Instead, we've had multiple professional teams like Dallas Tornado, Dallas Burn, FC Dallas and indoor teams like the Dallas Sidekicks. Unbelievable college programs like SMU Soccer and the Dallas Cup, which is arguably the greatest youth soccer tournament in the world. And then you look at the FC Dallas Youth System, which produces more top national team players than about any system in the United States or in MLS. And it's something we're so proud of.”
Lamar Hunt was also involved in the North American Soccer League when soccer legend Pele made his U.S. debut in Dallas in the 1970s. The parallels are apparent for the younger Hunt, hosting modern-day soccer legend Messi in Frisco this month and playing a huge role in getting Dallas selected to host the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Hunt shared his thoughts on keeping the momentum going strong. But at the end of the day, Dan Hunt – humble like his father – is in this for the sake of the sport and the teamwork it takes to do it justice.
“It's a team effort here. I appreciate the encouragement I get from everybody. But you're part of a group here that's making this happen,” he said. “This is this crowning moment…For this World Cup coming up in 2026, America is ready for it and is excited for it. And I think we'll all be able to capitalize on it, not just financially, but I think it will lead to generations of great players being developed because they look at the world superstars playing.”
While reflecting on his family, Hunt shared a special memory not seen by most anyone for over 20 years – the Medal of Honor presented to Lamar Hunt by the National Soccer Hall of Fame. He’s one of only four recipients in history.
Hunt is preparing to put the medal on display in the National Soccer Hall of Fame museum in Frisco.
FIFA FEVER
We could be weeks away from finding out if North Texas will host the semi-finals or the final match for the upcoming World Cup. The Dallas Sports Commission, Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers are among the multiple organizations working with FIFA officials on the planning process.
The new tournament format will see 48 teams in 104 matches in 16 host cities across three countries, an unexpectedly higher number of matches than first thought.
That might mean more than 7 million tickets available for the entire event. Hunt believes AT&T Stadium in Arlington could host seven or eight games.
There are reports that Dallas is leading over other host cities for a World Cup semi-final or final match. That decision could come down by the end of September or at some point in October.
"There'll be so many global superstars here that come through for the matches, coming through for training. This is the best of the very best. And it's also the passion. I always tell people this is like the Super Bowl on steroids and we get to have about 35 days of that in Dallas-Fort Worth,” explained Hunt. “And it's going to be so fun to share that with fans and with newbies to soccer so that they can enjoy it and take it in. I think it will propel FC Dallas forward and also all of the soccer in the region."
Looking ahead, the U.S. and Mexico are also going in on a joint bid for the Women's World Cup in 2027.
For now, FC Dallas is still in the midst of their season coming out of the League Cup. The team has had a little bit of a break since the last match, with the next game coming up this Saturday against big-time rivals Austin FC at Toyota Stadium in Frisco.
Be prepared for a packed house. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.
