Dallas leaders say that downtown transformation work ahead of the FIFA World Cup “is delivering lasting results, with crime and homelessness down and a new police command center signaling a more permanent shift,” according to María Ramos Pacheco of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Violent crime “was down” 12% last year and another 16% to 18% so far in 2026, while quality of life violations were down 82%. Officials said that downtown street homelessness has “dropped by more than” 80% after “every downtown encampment was cleared.” The new command center from the Dallas Police Department “will operate on the 10th floor” of Radiance Plaza, 1301 Young St., across from Dallas City Hall and about a mile from the police department’s headquarters. The center is funded “for at least three years with about” $1M in private investment from the Dallas Citizens Council and the Dallas Regional Chamber, as well as funding from the Communities Foundation of Texas and the Hoblitzelle Foundation. Downtown Dallas Inc. President & CEO Jennifer Scripps said that the center “represents a long-term investment in downtown safety and coordination.” Once the command center is up and running, DPD, DDI, DART, Dallas College and private security partners “will use it.” Leaders said that the “efforts to restore vibrancy” to downtown Dallas were “not driven solely” by the World Cup, but that the global event “helped create a sense of urgency and a firm deadline to accelerate long-planned improvements” (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 5/20).
PROBLEM SOLVED: A FIFA spokesperson said that the curtains at the Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium “will be up to block the notorious sunlight that shines through the west-facing windows of the stadium” during the 6pm CT fixture between Japan and Sweden on June 25. Front Office Sports was first to report. THE ATHLETIC’s Morale & Crafton noted AT&T Stadium will host five World Cup group stage matches this summer. The sunlight shining in the stadium “has affected play during several Cowboys games over the last few years” and “has become a controversial subject” (THE ATHLETIC, 5/20).