While many locals and visitors will be tuning in to the 2026 World Cup matches, in Dallas one of the city’s best-known culinary traditions will become part of the tournament’s official celebrations.
Visit Dallas has organized the FIFA World Cup 26 Dallas Margarita Mile Cup, a competition pitting some of the city’s most popular restaurants and bars against each other in a quest to find the public’s favorite margarita.
The competition will run throughout June and July and will follow a format inspired by sports tournaments.
Participants can obtain their electronic passport by registering on the event website. They can then visit participating establishments, sample the drinks created for the occasion and vote for their favorites. Restaurants go head-to-head in weekly matchups.
You must be at least 21 years old to participate.
The participating restaurants are:
“With the world’s eyes on Dallas in 2026, we want to give visitors an experience that’s interactive, undeniably Dallas, and one that they’ll remember long after they return home,” said Jennifer Walker, chief marketing officer at Visit Dallas, in a news release.
This competition is based on the Margarita Mile program created by Visit Dallas in 2018 to highlight the city’s historic connection to the frozen margarita.
Dallas is considered the birthplace of the frozen margarita machine, invented in 1971 by restaurateur Mariano Martinez, owner of the Tex-Mex restaurants Mariano’s Hacienda and La Hacienda Ranch.
That machine is now part of the collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
“For those of us in the restaurant community, the World Cup is an incredible opportunity to showcase Dallas on a global stage,” said Shannon Wynne, owner of Miriam Cocina Latina in the release.