‘This is a fabulous success,' Arlington to host nine World Cup matches

After months of speculation, FIFA announced Sunday that New York/New Jersey will host the 2026 World Cup Final.

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association announced the match locations on Sunday, awarding North Texas nine matches in the 2026 worldwide event, more than any other host city.

Dallas (North Texas) was named one of 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup back in June 2022. Though Arlington's AT&T Stadium was rumored as the favorite to host the final, that honor went to New York/New Jersey's MetLife Stadium.

This is easily the most significant sports event that has taken place in our region.

Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys

Though there was palpable disappointment the final went to New Jersey, the contingent of former athletes, mayors and others who worked on the North Texas World Cup bid said being awarded nine games is a huge accomplishment not to be understated.

"This is a fabulous success," Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "This is a triumph. This is a huge, huge success for every entity concerned here. While it's easy to sit here and say you came in second, the real world is that seconds here are magnificent and that's not an exaggeration."

Monica Paul, executive director of the Dallas Sports Commission said it's a big win to have had the region on the short-list for the final and they'll begin working right away to put on the best World Cup ever.

"Out of nine games we have four elimination round games … and we have a final match on the last group stage elimination day," said Dan Hunt, co-owner of FC Dallas and the Kansas City Chiefs. "So you have five fixtures that are do or die that are going to happen at this magnificent theater. There will be more drama that takes place here on this pitch than anywhere else in the entire World Cup bid."

The quadrennial event is expected to bring an unprecedented number of tourists to North Texas with an economic impact of more than $1 billion. The World Cup is the single-most watched sporting event in the world, with television audiences in the billions.

“They’ve estimated four million visitors throughout the duration of the World Cup just to the Metroplex alone," said Jason Sands, executive director of the Fort Worth Sports Commission. "A hundred thousand international visitors, you know, potentially daily. So, that’s a level we’ve never really seen before.”

“So, if you can imagine if we host seven or eight matches and host a semi or a final, the impact that’ll have. It’s hard to get your head around," Sands said.

Paul said Sunday they had not done an economic forecast for nine matches and that they hope to have updated figures to share soon.

FIFA WORLD CUP 26 MATCH SCHEDULE ANNOUNCEMENTS

Just after 2 p.m., FIFA announced that Mexico would kick off the tournament at home. The opening match in the Group Stage will occur on Thursday, June 11 in Mexico City as Estadio Azteca.

World Cup play will open for Canada in Toronto on Friday, June 12. The first game in Vancouver will be on Saturday, June 13.

The U.S. team will play their first game in Los Angeles on Friday, June 12.

AT&T Stadium in Arlington will host five Group Stage matches on Sunday, June 14; Wednesday, June 17; Monday, June 22; Thursday, June 25; and Saturday, June 27. Arlington will also host two matches in the knockout Round of 32 on June 30 and July 3 and another knockout match in the Round of 16 on July 6. Arlington will also host a semifinal match on July 14.

Houston will also host five Group Stage matches on Sunday, June 14; Wednesday, June 17; Saturday, June 20; Tuesday, June 23; and Friday, June 26. Houston will host one knockout match in the Round of 32 on June 29 and a knockout match in the Round of 16 on July 4.

The Bronze medal final will be hosted in Miami at Hard Rock Stadium on July 18, 2026. The final will be played in New York/New Jersey on July 19, 2026.

WHEN IS THE 2026 WORLD CUP?

The 2026 World Cup runs from June 11, 2026, through July 19, 2026. The event is held every four years and has been played uninterrupted since 1950. The reigning champion is Argentina, who won the event in 2022.

WHERE WILL THE 2026 WORLD CUP GAMES BE PLAYED?

The event is being jointly hosted by three North American countries, Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The 2026 World Cup marks the third time Mexico has been named a host, the second time for the U.S., and the first for Canada. The U.S. hosted in Los Angeles in 1994 and Mexico hosted twice in Mexico City in 1970 and 1986.

Throughout the two-week tournament, teams from 48 countries will compete in 104 matches. The matches will be played in the Canadian cities of Toronto and Vancouver, in the Mexican cities of Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey, and in the United States cities and regions of Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle.

A full schedule was released on Sunday.

HOW TO GET TICKETS TO THE 2026 WORLD CUP

Hoping to score a ticket? You'll need to register for interest in tickets first. That can be done at this link.

HOW DOES THE TOURNAMENT WORK?

The tournament begins with the Group Stage, with 12 groups of four national teams competing to advance to the Round of 32. The top two teams from each group will advance out of the Group Stage along with the eight-best third-place teams. The Round of 32 is made up of four knockout rounds which will determine the semifinalists and finalists.

The 2026 World Cup is the first time the Group Stage will have been played by 48 teams. The lineup was expanded from the 32-team format which had been in place since 1998.

For some national teams, qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup began last year. Because the U.S., Canada, and Mexico are all host countries, all will receive automatic qualifications.