{"id":366937,"date":"2026-07-09T15:30:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T15:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/366937\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T15:30:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T15:30:18","slug":"what-was-economic-boost-to-arlington-for-hosting-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/366937\/","title":{"rendered":"What was economic boost to Arlington for hosting World Cup?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the months leading up to the first kickoff at AT&T Stadium, local officials and tournament organizers said hosting nine World Cup games in Arlington would be like having nine Super Bowls<\/a>, with an estimated $2 billion economic impact<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That kind of talk sounded hyperbolic. Would hundreds of thousands of visitors really descend upon Dallas-Fort Worth in the heat of the summer? Would North Texans really embrace what is essentially viewed here as a \u201cforeign sport\u201d? And would the spending associated with the games really provide a jolt to local businesses?<\/p>\n

\"A A full Dallas Stadium erupts into cheers as the Portugal and Spain teams take the field in the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 16 match on Monday, July 6, 2026, at Dallas Stadium in Arlington. Amanda McCoy FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM <\/p>\n

With eight of the nine matches complete, the answer to those questions seems to be yes, even though actual sales figures are difficult to come by right now owing to lag times in accounting and data reporting.<\/p>\n

But there is some hard evidence to support the idea that the World Cup has been good for Tarrant County, and there\u2019s plenty of anecdotal evidence to back it up.<\/p>\n

On match days, places such as Fort Worth\u2019s Sundance Square<\/a> and Arlington\u2019s Entertainment District have been abuzz with supporters representing visiting teams, along with locals out to experience what could be a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.<\/p>\n

\"Liz Liz Rodriguez gets tossed in the air during a FIFA Summer of Soccer event at Sundance Square in Fort Worth on June 27, 2026. Sundance Square hosted viewing parties throughout the World Cup. Elvis Martinez-Cartagena FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM <\/p>\n

Texas Live!<\/a>, attached to the Rangers\u2019 Globe Life Field east of AT&T Stadium, has been a prime gathering spot for pre- and postgame revelry. The bar-and-restaurant venue is managed through a partnership between the Rangers and the Cordish Companies, with Chief Operating Officer Jim Watry at the helm.<\/p>\n

Speaking to the Star-Telegram, Watry said predictions about the World Cup\u2019s economic benefits were spot on. In fact, these last three weeks have been the best in the eight-year history of Texas Live! in terms of revenue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re 30% over our projections,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Japan Japan fans fill the seats of Dallas Stadium before kickoff against Sweden during the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage match on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at Dallas Stadium in Arlington. Amanda McCoy FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM \"Japan Japan fans prepare for the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage matchup against Sweden by painting their faces at a nearby Walmart parking lot on Thursday, June 25, 2026, in Arlington. Amanda McCoy FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM <\/p>\n

Watry said Texas Live! has hired more staff, and the company has paid to make improvements to the facilities, all of which factor in when considering the tournament\u2019s financial reach.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe economic impact is rippling beyond the cash registers,\u201d Watry said.<\/p>\n

World Cup boom in Arlington reaches beyond AT&T Stadium<\/p>\n

It stands to reason that a place right next to AT&T Stadium would be busy, but what about spots farther from the action?<\/p>\n

\"Norway Norway striker Erling Haaland celebrates his team\u2019s victory over Ivory Coast during the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout match on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at Dallas Stadium in Arlington. Amanda McCoy FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been real, real good,\u201d said Randy Ford, owner of J. Gilligan\u2019s Bar and Grill<\/a>, 407 E. South St., a longstanding Arlington watering hole a little more than a mile south of the stadium.<\/p>\n

Ford said he was at first skeptical about the World Cup being a boon for business. Once the games got underway, though, he converted to a believer. Food and beverage sales at J. Gilligan\u2019s during World Cup matches in Arlington, he said, were on par with what they are for Cowboys games: about four to five times higher than on a typical day.<\/p>\n

\"Tiskani Tiskani Perez holds a USA and Mexican flag during the FIFA Fan Festival at Fair Park in Dallas, June 11, 2026. Elvis Martinez-Cartagena FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM \"A A sea of orange takes over the streets of Arlington before the the FIFA World Cup match between the Netherlands and Japan on Sunday, June 14, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. Abigail Dollins Fort Worth Star-Telegram <\/p>\n

J. Gilligan\u2019s also operated more than a dozen shuttle buses to AT&T Stadium for each World Cup game, just like it does for Cowboys games. The cost was $26 for adults and $15 for kids, and they carried an average of 1,000 riders for each of the past three matches, Ford said.<\/p>\n

To illustrate how things have changed, Ford recalled shuttling a mere eight people to the stadium for the CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer matches in July 2009.<\/p>\n

\u201cCertainly, it was huge,\u201d he said of the 2026 World Cup.<\/p>\n

\"Argentina Argentina forward Lionel Messi celebrates a goal with teammates during the FIFA World Cup 2026 matchup against Austria on Monday, June 22, 2026, at Dallas Stadium in Arlington. The goal was number 17 for Messi in the World Cup, an all-time record. Amanda McCoy FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM <\/p>\n

At Arlington\u2019s Grease Monkey Burger Shop and Social Club<\/a>, 200 N. Mesquite St., there was a decent number of people in the bar on the afternoon of June 16 watching a televised France-Senegal match, which was held in New Jersey.<\/p>\n

Grease Monkey bartender Emily Smith said a crowd of more than three dozen England fans had just left (England would play Croatia in Arlington the following day), and she was pleased with the turnout and the money guests were spending.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were expecting a lot, so we were overprepared,\u201d said Smith, adding there were other bartenders on standby in case World Cup crowds overwhelmed the staff on hand.<\/p>\n

\"Norway Norway defender Kristoffer Ajer (3) and Ivory Coast forward Ange-Yoan Bonny compete for possession during the 2026 FIFA World Cup knockout match on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at Dallas Stadium in Arlington. Amanda McCoy FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM <\/p>\n

Like Ford, Smith said it reminded her of what she normally sees for Cowboys games. Even in the middle of a work day, the atmosphere in the bar felt somewhat celebratory, despite there not being any fans from France or Senegal present.<\/p>\n

Fans visit from countries ranging from Bermuda to Japan<\/p>\n

The same afternoon, the Star-Telegram visited Charlie\u2019s Tavern<\/a>, 1308 S. Cooper St., a comparatively off-the-beaten path sports bar south of the UT Arlington campus. The place was empty save for three guys who\u2019d traveled from Bermuda for the next day\u2019s England-Croatia match.<\/p>\n

One of them, Craig Dixon, said the group supported England, and they were enjoying their stay in Arlington. The three were booked in a short-term rental not far from Charlie\u2019s and had found the bar on Google while looking for a place to watch France-Senegal.<\/p>\n

Kaci Terrell, a bartender at Charlie\u2019s, said she\u2019d noticed an uptick in business since the World Cup came to town. In addition to the Bermudians, she\u2019d also encountered fans from as far as Japan, she said.<\/p>\n

\"Oyvind Oyvind Zahl arrives at Dallas Stadium for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 32 match between Norway and Ivory Coast on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Arlington. Zahl is from Norway but has lived in Texas for the last 40 years. \u201cThis is amazing they\u2019re back in Texas,\u201d said Zahl about the Norway team. Amanda McCoy FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM <\/p>\n

On June 16, Erick Lazo Vega, manager of the newly opened Londoner pub at 1409 N. Collins St. in Arlington, was gearing up for a busy few weeks. He said he and his staff expected a particularly packed house for the England-Croatia game on the 17th, which turned out to be the case<\/a> after England fans selected the Londoner as their home base. By 10 a.m., five hours before kickoff, there was already a line out the door of fans in England gear thirsty for a pregame pint.<\/p>\n

Money aside, there was also an undeniable communal benefit to having the World Cup in our backyard. Just about everyone who talked to the Star-Telegram, from service and hospitality industry professionals to bar patrons, spoke glowingly of the visiting fans and mentioned how fun it\u2019s been to play host to people who might not otherwise have come to Dallas-Fort Worth \u2014 and who would have missed out on attractions such as the Fort Worth Stockyards (which an awed Croatian fan described as cinematic<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\"The The view from above before the 2026 FIFA World Cup match between England and Croatia on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Amanda McCoy FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM \"Portugal Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo reacts during the first half of the 2026 FIFA World Cup round of 16 match against Spain on Monday, July 6, 2026, at Dallas Stadium in Arlington. Amanda McCoy FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM <\/p>\n

Watry said Texas Live! didn\u2019t change its menu offerings based on which teams were playing in Arlington. There was no Kirin Ichiban beer for Japan\u2019s matches, for example, and no beans and toast for the early morning England crowd. It was local food and local drinks, which was exactly what foreign guests were looking for, Watry said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are excited to be in Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Charlie\u2019s Tavern, Craig Dixon and his compatriots from Bermuda wanted to know where to get good barbecue as they sipped Bud Light, the quintessential \u201cAmerican beer,\u201d as they put it. That was just one small interaction in one small bar, but it was representative of something much larger that took place throughout North Texas \u2014 something that\u2019s hard to put a price on.<\/p>\n

Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Matt Adams<\/a><\/p>\n

Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n

Matt Adams is a news reporter covering Fort Worth, Tarrant County and surrounding areas. He previously wrote about aviation and travel and enjoys a good weekend road trip. Matt joined the Star-Telegram in January 2025.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the months leading up to the first kickoff at AT&T Stadium, local officials and tournament organizers said…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":366938,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[150,152,151],"class_list":["post-366937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arlington","tag-arlington","tag-arlington-headlines","tag-arlington-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=366937"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366937\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/366938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=366937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=366937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=366937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}