On Thursday, FIFA officially announced Dallas (AT&T Stadium) was selected as one of the 16 North American cities that will host matches for the 2026 Men's World Cup, with 11 venues in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada.
Following the announcement, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said, “The longer I'm in the sport, the more I realize how important soccer is to this world.” “When we built this stadium, it was to have great, great events. And it wasn't just American football.”
Here is Dirk, Dak, Luka and Dempsey announcing Dallas as a 2026 #FIFAWorldCup host site… https://t.co/DJsWYLG9zQ pic.twitter.com/vR2ZHmlJXd
— Pat Doney (@PatDoneyNBC5) June 16, 2022
Additionally, Thursday's selection marks the first time AT&T Stadium has ever had World Cup soccer play inside its venue, and it will mark the first time since the City of Dallas last hosted a World Cup Match.
And for those curious, it was in 1994 when they held gameplay in the Cotton Bowl.
Although we learned which sites qualifying countries will be going through in the 2026 World Cup, the qualifying stages of the World Cup that each venue will host weren't disclosed yet, but Jones is hoping they can host the championship match.
“We want to do everything in our power to have the championship game,” Jones said. “In doing so, we will do a great job with whatever games we have there.”
Looking at the stadium's history, they are no strangers to hosting mega-events as they have held Wrestlemania, the Super Bowl, the NBA All-Star Game, the NCAA Final Four, world-class concerts, and numerous boxing matches.
And I don't know about you, but if I got the chance to catch a World Cup Final a few hours away from me–I'm going to go without a doubt, no matter the cost.
Other NFL teams/cities that were chosen included New York/New Jersey (Giants & Jets/MetLife Stadium); Los Angeles (Rams/SoFi Stadium); San Francisco (49ers/Levi's Stadium); Miami (Dolphins/Hard Rock Stadium); Atlanta (Falcons/Mercedes-Benz Stadium); Seattle (Seahawks/Lumen Field); Houston (Texans/NRG Stadium); Philadelphia(Eagles/Lincoln Financial Field); Kansas City, Missouri (Chiefs/Arrowhead Stadium); and Boston (Patriots/Gillette Stadium).
Additionally, the cities selected in Mexico and Canada were Guadalajara (Estadio Akron), Monterrey (Estadio BBCA Bancomer), Mexico City (Estadio Azteca), Toronto (BMO Field) and Vancouver (BC Place).
