<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Amanda McCoy<\/p>\n
FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM<\/p>\n
In one month, the World Cup generated roughly half as much revenue for Arlington as AT&T Stadium does in a year, Arlington Mayor Jim Ross said Monday, declaring that the tournament had a \u201csubstantial\u201d economic impact on his city.<\/p>\n
While it will probably take months to get a full picture of how much money was generated for the entire region, Ross said the projections he\u2019s seen show the games have brought roughly $160 million to Arlington, or nearly half of the $340 million AT&T Stadium brings annually to the city.<\/p>\n
That includes an estimated $31 million in hotel revenue in June \u2014 which topped the previous high of $23.5 million in hotel revenue in November 2024, a month when AT&T Stadium hosted three Cowboys home games and a boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, Ross said. He was among several local sports and civic leaders who detailed the gains at a news conference in Dallas on the eve of the ninth and final World Cup match<\/a> at AT&T Stadium.<\/p>\n Anecdotal evidence<\/a> indicates the World Cup has been a boon for Arlington\u2019s hospitality industry, with some restaurateurs and tavern owners saying revenue has exceeded their expectations. Ross, who owns the Arlington steakhouse Mercury Chophouse and Hearsay, a restaurant located inside Choctaw Stadium, agreed that soccer fans have been good for business.<\/p>\n While the short-term income has been welcome, Ross is taking a long view of how the World Cup might benefit Arlington economically. He said he\u2019s met with ambassadors, consul generals \u2014 even royalty \u2014 from nations that competed in Arlington, and Ross said those dignitaries have talked about how they might partner with Arlington in future business ventures.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve gotten letters from all kinds of them saying, \u2018Thank you so much for the hospitality, we want to continue this relationship. We invite you to come to our country and let\u2019s see what we can do further together.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n One example, Ross said, was when he met with King Abdullah II of Jordan, Calling the king a \u201ccool cat,\u201d Ross said they talked about aerospace innovations, and he was able to put a Jordanian ambassador in touch with a local aerospace firm to explore a business relationship.<\/p>\n Monica Paul, president of the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee, said FIFA, through its North Texas Business Connect Program<\/a>, should publish a wrap-up report in the coming months detailing the value of those types of connections, as well as providing concrete figures showing how the World Cup benefited North Texas economically.<\/p>\n North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee Co-Chair Dan Hunt talked about the cultural impact on North Texas, which could be argued was just as important as the financial impact, which was predicted to be as much as $2 billion<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hunt, whose family owns the Kansas City Chiefs, said he hoped the success of this World Cup in Dallas-Fort Worth will inspire the next generation of local soccer talent and help attract other large-scale events, including the 2031 Women\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you dream about what a World Cup can be, you have these hopes and ideas, but we far exceeded that,\u201d Hunt said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had eight of the greatest matches you can ever have right here in Dallas Stadium in Arlington. But as you look at the whole scale of the tournament, with 100 matches that have created lifetime memories for visitors, it\u2019s been so great that our market has shown so well. I knew it would.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n
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