FIFA World Cup 26 — Dallas (AT&T Stadium)

Dallas's tournament window is June 14 – July 14, 2026 — nine matches at AT&T Stadium: five group games (Jun 14 Netherlands vs. Japan, Jun 17 England vs. Croatia, Jun 22 Argentina vs. Austria, Jun 25 Japan vs. Sweden, Jun 27 Jordan vs. Argentina), two Round of 32 matches (Jun 30, Jul 3), a Round of 16 (Jul 6), and the Semi-Final on Jul 14. Tickets and hospitality packages run through the official Dallas Host Committee portal at dallasfwc26.com. The FIFA Fan Festival at Fair Park is a separate, free online registration.

Plan to be at security 90 minutes before kickoff — FIFA stadium screening runs slower than NFL Sundays, and gates typically open three hours pre-match. If you're TRE-shuttling from downtown Dallas or Fort Worth, add 1.5 hours door-to-door on top of that. The clear-bag rule is strict (12x6x12 inches max, plastic or vinyl); the stadium offers mobile lockers in the parking area for $20 per bag if you show up with the wrong size.

Three honest trade-offs. Walking-distance Arlington — Live! by Loews, Loews Arlington Hotel, Sheraton Arlington, Courtyard by Marriott — puts you inside the Entertainment District but books out fast at premium block rates. Downtown Dallas (The Adolphus, Hotel Crescent Court) gives you a real city for the off-nights and a 25–30 minute Lyft to the stadium when traffic cooperates. The Grand Hyatt DFW is built into the airport terminal — the right call if you've got an early flight after a late knockout.

Dallas in June and July is genuinely dangerous heat. June heat index averages 107.6°F; July climbs to 113°F. AT&T Stadium is indoor and air-conditioned, but parking lots, tailgates and fan zones are not. Light colors, brimmed hat, drink water before you think you need to, eat salt. Pack a small umbrella too — DFW afternoons spawn fast-moving thunderstorms; you can't carry it into the stadium, but it saves the walk in.

Fair Park's FIFA Fan Festival is the free official answer — register online (capped at 8 tickets per person per day), up to 35,000 capacity, every one of the 104 matches on big screens. Texas Live! between Globe Life Field and AT&T Stadium is the unofficial bar version, the closest off-stadium fan zone (the AT&T Stadium Forecourt itself is right at the venue) and LatAm-leaning on the marquee Argentina, Mexico and Brazil days. For premium, Cosm Dallas at Grandscape sells a shared-reality dome experience for a 40-match slate — every USMNT group match, every Round of 16, Quarter-Final and Semi-Final, plus the Final.

Different products. The stadium is the once-per-lifetime ticket — you're in the room for one of nine matches and you'll remember the walk in. Fair Park is the more atmospheric day-over-day experience, because you'll watch matches that aren't being played in Dallas alongside supporters who flew in for them. For a multi-day trip, the right answer is both: one or two stadium matches, the rest split between Fair Park, Texas Live!, Cosm and a neighborhood bar. The wrong answer is treating the off-days as downtime.

The Trinity Railway Express + FIFA charter bus is the official move: board TRE at Victory Station (Dallas) or Fort Worth Central, ride to CentrePort, transfer to a charter bus to the Lot H Bus Hub, walk 10 minutes to the gates. Trains run every 30 minutes on match days, $12 day pass, about 1.5 hours door-to-door. Lyft and Uber surge brutally after the final whistle — expect $80–150 to downtown Dallas with 45-minute pickup queues at the official Lot H zone; walk 15 minutes north onto Randol Mill Rd before requesting. The locals' move is parking free in downtown Arlington and taking the J. Gilligan's shuttle for $8–15 round trip.

Clear-bag rule is FIFA-strict: plastic/vinyl/PVC only, 12x6x12 inches max, with small non-clear clutches under 4.5x6.5 inches OK; the stadium offers $20 mobile lockers in the parking area if you arrive with the wrong bag. The venue is cashless — concessions take card or mobile pay only, with reverse-ATMs that convert cash to a prepaid card. Stadium parking runs $20–120 normally and can hit $335 for marquee dates; gameday cash lots sell out 3+ hours pre-match, so buy in advance through the FIFA portal.

Dallas's nine-match load is one of the heavier hosting commitments in the tournament and it ends with a Semi-Final — there are only two Semi-Finals in the entire 104-match bracket, and Dallas hosts one of them. The Final itself is at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19. That's why July 14 is the city's climax: it's the deepest round Dallas will see. If you're tracking the tournament from afar before traveling, the June 14 Dallas opener (Netherlands vs. Japan) and the June 25 USMNT night — Türkiye vs. USA, viewable in immersive form on Cosm's Grandscape dome — are the moments where Dallas plugs into the bigger arc.