The World Cup may be over, but the crowds haven’t stopped coming to the Arlington Museum of Art. After welcoming visitors from around the world throughout the World Cup championship soccer tournament, the museum has extended “More Than a Match” through Aug. 30.
The four-part exhibition was originally slated to close Aug. 3. Museum officials say the change reflects the enthusiasm surrounding both the World Cup and Arlington’s role as one of the tournament’s host cities.
For Kendall Quirk, the museum’s registrar and director of exhibitions, extending the show was an easy decision.
“We knew this World Cup was going to have a huge impact locally and also across the country,” Quirk said. “Keeping [the exhibition] open to capitalize on the excitement everyone’s had over the last six weeks was just kind of a no-brainer for us.”
The exhibit has become more than a stop for soccer fans looking to relive the tournament. Quirk said one of the museum’s biggest takeaways has been watching visitors from around the world interact with one another inside the galleries.
A section of the exhibition invites guests to write about their memories of the World Cup and what soccer means to them. The messages have been left in numerous languages by visitors representing countries featured throughout the exhibition.
“That’s what’s really exciting,” Quirk said, “seeing reactions from people who are from some of these countries that are represented in the exhibit and hearing their stories.”
The exhibition was nearly three years in the making. Museum staff secured “Soccer: The Passion for the World Cup” in 2023 and built the broader exhibition around it, knowing Arlington would be one of the host communities for the 2026 tournament.
The result combines four exhibitions under one roof, including historic World Cup artifacts from Italy, contemporary artwork inspired by soccer, historic maps curated by the University of Texas at Arlington Special Collections, and a community installation featuring hundreds of match-day scarves contributed by fans ahead of the tournament.
For Quirk, the project also represented new territory for the museum. Working with sports memorabilia required different installation techniques than traditional fine art exhibitions, but the larger goal remained the same: creating an experience that matched the passion surrounding the world’s most popular sport.
“We really wanted people to have an exciting time while they were in the galleries and see things from some of the most well-known names in the sport,” she said.
Brittney Garcia-Dumas, Arlington City Council member for District 5 and the museum’s marketing and partnerships coordinator, said the exhibition has demonstrated how cultural institutions can complement major sporting events while continuing to serve local residents.
“I believe that’s part of what’s driven the popularity of the exhibition,” Garcia-Dumas said. “It’s allowed residents to come and get a World Cup experience without having to pay the ticket price, or they could come and see it on days when the matches weren’t happening.”
She said the exhibition’s success also reflects Arlington’s growing reputation as an international destination, one that offered visitors an experience distinct from neighboring cities.
“I know the stadium says Dallas, but people knew that it was in Arlington,” Garcia-Dumas said. “Arlington provided our visitors and our residents an experience that you wouldn’t be able to get in Dallas or Fort Worth. It is uniquely Arlington, and it has allowed the world to see the charm and the excitement that we have here.”
Beyond the economic impact of hosting World Cup matches, Garcia-Dumas believes Arlington showcased its ability to welcome visitors from around the globe and embrace cultural diversity.
“Knowing that when we lean into our diversity — when we lean into the welcoming city that we are — it’s only success over and over,” Garcia-Dumas said. “It’s not only the right thing to do, but it’s also the profitable thing to do — the thing that brings everybody together. These types of events are what Arlington does best.”
Stephen Montoya is a freelance reporter who recently served as digital editor at Fort Worth Magazine.
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