In the high-stakes race to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup Finals, Dallas is banking on a unique advantage: a tournament of unprecedented size.
Dan Hunt, co-owner of MLS’s FC Dallas and chairman of Dallas’ World Cup bid committee, told the U.S. Sun that the 200,000-person ticket-based event will be held throughout the sports complex in Arlington, Texas. He said he was planning an event.
The standard capacity of the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, the bidding venue for the finals, is 80,000, but it can be expanded to a maximum of 100,000. Adjacent Globe Life Field, home of MLB’s Texas Rangers, has a seating capacity of an additional 40,300, and the Rangers’ old home, Choctaw Stadium, has a seating capacity of an additional 48,114.
The latter two stadiums will be used for game simulcast setups using jumbotrons and other types of fan events.
“One of my big selling points for FIFA is that if we get to the final, we can do something that no one else can do, which is probably a ticketed event with up to 200,000 people in attendance,” Hunt said. said. “Rangers are fully committed to this. They have worked extremely hard to make this happen.”
The venue for the finals will be decided by the end of the year. MetLife Stadium in Dallas and New Jersey are said to be leading candidates. Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, considered another leading contender for the finals, could lose out on hosting World Cup matches due to ongoing revenue sharing and facilities issues.
The United States will co-host the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada.
