When Randy Ford looked back at the World Cup’s match days in Arlington, the payoff at J. Gilligan’s Bar & Grill was unmistakable.
The longtime downtown establishment recorded about four times its normal sales during the tournament. Grease Monkey Burger Shop, another Arlington business, reported a 25% to 30% increase.
A few blocks away, the tournament’s effects looked different. Businesses in downtown Arlington’s Urban Union district that did not cater directly to sports fans reported the same traffic as usual — or less — as residents avoided the area over fears of congestion.
That uneven experience is a part of the larger question Tarrant County leaders are now confronting: Was hosting the world’s largest sporting event worth the investment?
On Aug. 6, the Fort Worth Report will host a panel discussion examining the World Cup’s wins and losses for Tarrant County residents, including its effects on transportation, public safety, public health, local businesses and daily life.
Before the tournament, regional organizers projected the nine Arlington matches would generate between $1.5 billion and $2 billion in economic impact and help bring more than 100,000 visitors to North Texas each day.
The post-World Cup numbers that are starting to come in are eye-opening. FIFA reported a combined 631,843 fans attended Arlington’s nine matches. The Fort Worth Stockyards welcomed 1.8 million visitors during the tournament, a 44.7% increase from the same period a year earlier.
The complete financial picture, however, is not yet available. Monica Paul, president of the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee, said the actual economic impact will take months to calculate as state and business data comes in.
“I think you’ll have a pretty large wrap-up report after this is over,” Paul said.
Know before you go
Who’s speaking at Candid Conversation: The World Cup’s Wins and Losses?
Drew Hays, executive director of the Fort Worth Sports Commission and vice president of sports at Visit Fort Worth
Anette Landeros, chief strategy officer of Trinity Metro
Michael E. Nalley, director of hospitality management and professor of practice at the University of Texas at Arlington
Jennifer Wichmann, deputy city manager for the city of Arlington
When: Breakfast and beverages will be served starting at 7:30 a.m. Aug. 6, while supplies last. The panel discussion begins at 8 a.m.
Where: Martin Ballroom at Texas Wesleyan University
Tickets are available here.
Unable to attend? The conversation will stream on the Fort Worth Report’s YouTube channel. Readers may submit questions for the panel to hello@fortworthreport.org.
Traffic fears, transit wins
Transportation was among the region’s largest pre-tournament concerns.
Trinity Metro approved a contract of up to $6 million to lease as many as 40 buses a day. Officials also added Trinity Railway Express cars and used charter buses to carry fans from CentrePort Station to a parking lot near the stadium.
More than 40,000 passengers used World Cup public transportation, according to officials. Paul described the plan as having gone flawlessly.
Natalie Bettger, a senior program manager for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, said each match created different challenges, including crashes nearby that needed to be cleared quickly. Organizers also saw more rideshare use than expected and added another drop-off lot.
“We all have to kind of play our part and know who to contact to make those adjustments on the fly,” Bettger said.
Fortunately for organizers, a transportation breakdown never arrived. But the perception that it might may have carried its own cost remains, particularly for business owners who said local customers stayed away.
Public concerns, smaller flashpoints
The tournament arrived amid concerns over immigration enforcement, demonstrations, human trafficking and the strain millions of visitors could place on hospitals and emergency responders.
One of the expected flashpoints provoked far less action than anticipated. About a dozen people protested U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement outside Arlington’s first match June 14. Federal officials had said large-scale immigration enforcement actions were not planned during the games.
Health and public safety agencies spent more than a year coordinating emergency plans, hospital capacity and disease surveillance. The broader assessment of how those systems performed — and which preparations should remain in place for future events — is ongoing.
Questions to be addressed extend beyond dollars and traffic. Organizers have pointed to new soccer pitches, cultural programming and greater interest in the sport as part of the tournament’s legacy. Arlington leaders already are looking toward a potential role in the 2031 Women’s World Cup.
Reporters Chris Moss and Eric E. Garcia contributed reporting.
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @matthewsgroi1.
News decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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