FIFA names Dallas-Fort Worth as venue for 2026 World Cup

The biggest tournament in the world is returning to the Metroplex!

The biggest event in the world is coming back to the Dallas-Fort Worth market in 2026.

FIFA announced on Thursday that the Dallas market was selected as one of the 16 hosts for the tournament.

All the games will be played in Arlington at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Based on the bid book, Dallas should get upwards of six games in the tournament, including a semifinal game.

It’s estimated that being named a host city could lead to an economic impact of nearly $400 million dollars and create as many as 3,000 new jobs.

Dallas last hosted the World Cup in 1994 when the Cotton Bowl was the venue of choice.

The 2026 tournament will be the largest to date with 48 teams. Those teams will be broken into 16 three-team groups with the top two teams from each advancing to a Round of 32. That format will mean there are 80 total games, up from 62 in this year’s edition. About 60 of those games — including the final — are expected to be played in the United States.

The other host cities include Los Angeles, Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, and Guadalajara announced as part of a block of five Western cities. Kansas City, Houston, Atlanta, Mexico City and Monterrey made the Central cities group along with Dallas. To round out the hosting groups from the East were Toronto, Miami, Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston.