UT Southwestern becomes Dallas World Cup 2026 local sponsor

UT Southwestern Medical Center has become an Official Dallas World Cup 2026 Host City Supporter, a significant development as momentum continues to ramp up for the first men’s World Cup in North America in 32 years.

UT Southwestern joins the North Texas Sports Foundation (Official Legacy Supporter), Choctaw Casinos & Resorts and Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages as the first four host city supporters secured by the North Texas FIFA World Cup (FWC) Organizing Committee, which shared the news exclusively with The Dallas Morning News.

A formal announcement will come later today. Each of the 16 host cities — including 11 in the United States — can have as many as 10 official sponsors.

The partnership will allow UT Southwestern to play an role in community engagement initiatives and will include visibility throughout the region through an array of events and promotions.

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“All of our host city supporters are an integral part of us being able to be successful in hosting a World Cup,” Monica Paul, executive director of the Dallas Sports Commission and president of the North Texas FWC Organizing Committee, told The News.

Paul called UT Southwestern a “world-class institution here, representing the very best here in North Texas. We feel they’re already a partner of ours in order to be able to execute the event, and providing medical coverage for spectators that are going to be here … Putting the two and two together and having them come on as a Host City Supporter is an important step for us.”

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Beginning in June, AT&T Stadium will host nine World Cup matches, the most of any venue in the 48-team event, including a semifinal.

Host City Supporters cannot conflict with FIFA’s commercial partners in the same sponsorship category. FIFA provides the organizing committees a comprehensive list of available sponsorship categories that won’t conflict.

Host cities are seeking to raise anywhere between $100 million and $150 million to offset the costs of hosting matches, staging official Fan Festivals and other expenses, including several legacy initiatives. Securing deals with official Host City Supporters is critical to those fundraising efforts.

“We share the enthusiasm for bringing the FIFA World Cup to North Texas and look forward to connecting with fans from all over the world,” Marc Nivet, Ed.D., M.B.A., Executive Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Professor in the UT Southwestern Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health, said in a statement. “This is a unique opportunity for our community to come together and celebrate not only the spirit of the game, but also the power of shared experiences to inspire healthier, stronger lives.”

UT Southwestern, nationally ranked for its research, medical education and clinical care, has more than 25,000 employees. It conducts more than $800 million in research annually. And its William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital was ranked No. 1 in D-FW last year by U.S. News & World Report.

Paul said to expect sponsor promotions at the FIFA Fan Festival at Fair Park, which will be open the full 39 days of the World Cup. Several other events the organizing committee is hosting in the coming months will also see branding, including watch parties.

“You start to have the look and feel of the tournament around the around the city,” Paul said. “Later in the spring, all of our Host City Supporters will be integrated into that kind of look and feel. Obviously, they get to utilize the marks as a host city supporter. You’ll start to see some activations coming here probably starting March all the way through the tournament.”

Paul said initial discussions with UT Southwestern began some 18 months ago, adding that there were “a lot of shared values and understanding that this is on a global stage and we’ve seen UT Southwestern step up before to partner within the community on major things nationally. This was a natural fit.”

While the focus is on this year, Paul said, they also want to look at this as a long-term partnership that extends long after the World Cup concludes in July.

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