With just over a month until the World Cup arrives in North Texas, local businesses are preparing for an expected surge of visitors and spending tied to the global event.
Projections show the region could host about 4 million people for nine matches, more than any other host city, with billions of dollars expected to flow into the economy.
At Whiski Designs in the Dallas Farmers Market, World Cup merchandise is already filling shelves.
“We just have a lot of fun things that kids are going to love,” said owner India Hearne.
“They don’t want something they can just find anywhere. They want something unique and special and we have that,” she said.
Hearne said her preparations began years ago, following a surge in demand during the 2024 total solar eclipse.
“They wanted stuff that said total eclipse, Dallas, and the year, and all of that. And I mean, I didn’t have it because I didn’t know it was going to be that big of a deal.”
“So right after the eclipse, after all that kind of craziness calmed down, I looked at my mom and dad and I said, well, the next big thing coming is FIFA and we’ve got to be more prepared.”
She said customers have already begun buying World Cup items.
“We’ve had a great response.”
Still, predicting demand for an event of this scale remains a challenge.
At Peticolas Brewing Company in the Design District, owner Michael Peticolas said the excitement is building.
“I’ve been trying to tell people this is going to be like an experience you’ve never seen before or felt before,” he said.
Peticolas, who has attended four World Cups, said anticipation is high.
“So my excitement level, it’s through the roof. How do you put it on a scale? It’s not 11 on a scale of 1 to 10. It’s like 100. I am so ready. I’m excited. I want to jump out of my skin just talking about it.”
The brewery is expanding its offerings ahead of the tournament.
“We wanted to make this a place that people came to watch soccer, a place that really embodied the beautiful game…” he said.
“For the Brazil World Cup, which was the first World Cup that we were open for, we did a beer called Thrilla in Brazila, for the Russia World Cup, we did one called Rumble in Russia…”
This year, the business is increasing its production and merchandise.
“You just, you boost it tenfold. Like we’re not doing one soccer beer this year, we’re doing three soccer beers that we’ll put out one after another as we approach the World Cup,” Peticolas said.
He said preparations also include multilingual menus and expanded merchandise for fans.
“My concern is, shoot, are we gonna need to get security to limit the amount of people that we have coming through the doors? We’ve never really had to get that far before, that far down the road, but it’s on my mind.”
Despite the uncertainty, business owners say they are ready.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun just to welcome so many people from all over the world to our beautiful city and get to welcome them into my shop, which is my home basically, and show them that true Texas hospitality,” Hearne said.