Mexico fans celebrate the team’s victory over South Africa in the first game of the World Cup at Las Almas Rotas in Dallas, Thursday, June 11, 2026. Diners walked over from the FIFA Fan Festival in Fair Park. The bar set up extra tables and chairs on the front patio for guests after exceeding capacity.
Angela Piazza/The Dallas Morning News
Any time the door swung open at Las Almas Rotas, across from Fair Park in South Dallas, World Cup fans exploded with cheers.
Their jubilance overwhelmed the bar on the first day of FIFA Fan Fest, with visitors crammed so tight the owner had to open windows to keep cool and borrow patio furniture from a neighboring business to meet code regulations.
“I really did not know what to expect with Fan Fest,” said Taylor Samuels, the owner. “Today, honestly, caught us a little off guard.”
Business had been slow. Then Mexico beat South Africa in a World Cup match. The small bar, a mezcaleria focused on Mexican culture, became electric. Hundreds of fans showed up on Thursday to order drinks, quesadillas and other bites.
Turnout, Samuels said, “just depends on the mood of Dallas.” He wondered if that day was a one-off, or if the traffic would continue through the weekslong celebration. On Monday, he said the bar saw about a 30% sales increase over the weekend. Most weren’t regulars, but fans, either locals who knew of the place or international travelers from Europe or Asia.
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“I hope that we continue to be busy, but I just don’t exactly know,” he said Thursday. “It’s really hard to tell, because there’s conflicting information.”
More than three million visitors are projected to come through North Texas, but hotel bookings are murky. An early report shows the economic boost for cities across the country may be muted and smaller than expected. FIFA’s ticketing process and prices have also come under scrutiny.
At Fair Park, the free Fan Festival runs through July 19 with a daily capacity of about 35,000 people. It’s all happening as the city works to attract more visitors to the fairgrounds and expand its offerings after taking over management last year. Samuels said the area also faces negative perceptions around safety, which he said are untrue.
While there have been challenges with the fairgrounds being used year-round, he said he would benefit from increased foot traffic and more locals spending time there. That’s if the city’s management can make it happen, he said.
“Sure, I want people from Europe to have a great time in Dallas. But at the end of the day, they’re not repeat customers,” Samuels said. “The people that we really need to impress are our neighbors.”
Related: Could Dallas’ Fair Park get a hotel, other amenities in plan to generate revenue?
Men play soccer in an outdoor court across the street from Fair Park, owned by Atlético Dallas, after a World Cup match was shown at FIFA Fan Fest in Dallas, Thursday, June 11, 2026.
Angela Piazza/The Dallas Morning News
The bar is just one spot in the area hoping to welcome fans. Nearby, chefs planning to open a restaurant in the area, Midcult Society, sold multicultural bites from a trailer. Atlético Dallas, a new men’s soccer club, opened a street court where visitors played pick-up games. The team is working to make the area its home and grow its presence on Exposition Avenue.
“We’ve been hustling to get this open,” said James Moore, the club’s director of hospitality services, adding, “Everybody here has basically kind of either walked in or follows us on our socials.”
Evan Pemberton, co-owner of Midcult Society, said the menu includes fusion dishes, rooted in southern cuisine, and changes every couple of days. He said he’d seen customers from Africa, Europe and elsewhere.
“This is specifically for the traffic,” Pemberton said of the trailer. “It’s a way for us to get the name out there and help generate a little bit of revenue for the restaurant while we’re in the final pushes of opening.”
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Alexa Batalla, right, speaks with Kayla Torres, center, and another friend while celebrating Mexico’s victory over South Africa in the first game of the World Cup at Las Almas Rotas in Dallas, Thursday, June 11, 2026. The group watched the match at FIFA Fan Festival in Fair Park.
Angela Piazza/The Dallas Morning News
Back at Las Almas Rotas, it’s typically a “chill, very intimate vibe,” said 26-year-old Alexa Batalla from Pleasant Grove.
“Tonight it’s very lively,” she said Thursday. “It’s such a good energy. Everyone is just running on that.”
For Batalla, who isn’t a soccer fan, the draw was the environment created while watching World Cup games. She said Mexico being in the tournament brings communities together. As a first-generation Mexican American, she’s excited to show her cultural pride.
Batalla made her outfit, decked herself out in jewelry from Mexican artisans and had her mom braid ribbons into her hair before hopping on the DART line to Fair Park.
“I’m all about ambiance. When you go to these games, you really do get to feel everybody else’s energy,” she said. “When everyone stands, you yell. And when everyone yells, it’s just amazing.”
This reporting is part of the Future of North Texas, a community-funded journalism initiative supported by the Commit Partnership, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Lisa and Charles Siegel, the McCune-Losinger Family Fund, The Meadows Foundation, the Perot Foundation, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the University of Texas at Dallas. The News retains full editorial control of this coverage.