Gianni Infantino<\/a>, world soccer governing body FIFA\u2019s president, will instead be in, or near, Jones\u2019 suite.<\/p>\n And Jones will be in a separate spot on the stadium\u2019s \u201cSilver Level,\u201d as he has been throughout this World Cup, in a very unfamiliar position: outside the spotlight.<\/p>\n Jones hasn\u2019t complained about it. In fact, \u201cit\u2019s all worked out really, really well,\u201d Chad Estis, the Cowboys\u2019 EVP of business operations, said of the World Cup.<\/p>\n Estis added that Jones might get \u201ca little emotional\u201d when he sees the stadium come alive for Tuesday\u2019s semifinal between Spain and France<\/a>, the last of nine World Cup games at the venue over the past month. \u201cI think he\u2019ll be super-proud,\u201d Estis said Monday.<\/p>\n Jones himself, though, has been quiet throughout the tournament, perhaps because, in a rare twist, he has had to cede center stage.<\/p>\n \n AT&T Stadium undergoes final preparations before hosting a World Cup semifinal between France and Spain (Franck Fife \/ AFP \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n When U.S. stadiums agreed years ago to help co-host this 2026 World Cup, they all signed contracts that gave near-total control of their venues to FIFA, which organizes and runs the tournament. FIFA had the right to transform each venue \u2014 to rebrand them, rename them (temporarily) and mold hospitality spaces or other areas to its liking. Stadium operators, such as the Cowboys, were part of the transformation process but rarely had final say on key matters. In many cases, they had to accede to FIFA\u2019s demands.<\/p>\n And one of those, made years ago, was for Jones\u2019 suite.<\/p>\n \u201cThey came into our stadium, and they walked into Jerry\u2019s suite, and they said, \u2018Well, this is just perfect for the VVIP area\u2019,\u201d Estis recalled, referring to the \u201cVery Very Important Person\u201d section, an exclusive, tightly secured space for Infantino, high-ranking soccer officials, politicians, dignitaries and famous former players.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the type of exclusive experience that Jones, a billionaire businessman, enjoys on NFL Sundays throughout the fall. He was, after all, the driving force behind the construction of AT&T Stadium, which opened in 2009 at a cost of $1.3 billion (\u00a3960m at the current rate), with a majority of the money coming from Jones and the Cowboys.<\/p>\n Among the many amenities were an \u201cOwners Club\u201d and multiple levels of suites above the Cowboys\u2019 sideline. At the center of all the luxury is Jones\u2019 suite \u2014 an entirely private one. According to a 2015 New York Times profile of the area<\/a>, Jones\u2019 daughter Charlotte and wife Gene hand-pick guests and extend formal invites.<\/p>\n Jones, who is perhaps the most recognizable and polarizing owner in the NFL, is often pictured there during games. He is a fixture, a hands-on executive and famous entertainer, who mingles with a rotating cast of family, friends, business associates and celebrities.<\/p>\n He is the one constant, which is why FIFA\u2019s request was so jarring. Estis laughs at the memory. \u201cWell, wait a minute, whoa, whoa, whoa,\u201d he and his colleagues told FIFA. \u201cAre you serious?\u201d<\/p>\n They quickly realized FIFA was entirely serious.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was tough,\u201d Estis recalled. \u201cWhen we were told that might happen, we were like, \u2018Wow, OK\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n They knew, though, that FIFA had the right to take over the suite, as FIFA did at most or all World Cup stadiums.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fine. I understand it,\u201d Estis said. \u201cThat\u2019s why Jerry\u2019s suite is there, because it\u2019s the prime spot.\u201d<\/p>\n Are Mbappe & Dembele the deadliest World Cup duo?<\/p>\n Liam Twomey<\/p>\n The suite takeover was just one aspect of a broader dynamic that has been difficult for some NFL stadiums to stomach. Their commercial branding is blacked out<\/a>. They get no ticketing or concessions revenue<\/a> from the World Cup matches they host. \u201cQuite honestly, if you just look at our local business, it\u2019s tough on our local business,\u201d Estis admitted. \u201cOur suite-holders are displaced, our sponsor signage is covered, and there\u2019s a bunch of other events you could have instead of this.<\/p>\n \u201cBut you want to be a part of this. I think our stadium needed to be a part of it. We loved what it showed to the world. And it was just phenomenal for the community \u2014 and at the end of the day, we\u2019re a part of this community, we need to do our part for the community.\u201d<\/p>\n He was asked what Jones was getting out of the World Cup. \u201cIt\u2019s a really good question, because it\u2019s not financial,\u201d Estis said of the benefits.<\/p>\n But Jones, a notoriously unflinching negotiator, is also a \u201cbig-event guy,\u201d Estis noted.<\/p>\n \u201cJerry, the Jones family, never once hesitated that we should be a part of this, and our building should be a part of it. He\u2019s super-passionate about huge events, so he wasn\u2019t gonna be left out.\u201d<\/p>\n So, he will be in attendance when the Dallas area\u2019s World Cup comes to a close on Tuesday. He won\u2019t be in his suite, but he\u2019ll be in the building, watching the likes of Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 and Lamine Yamal alongside his family, schmoozing with the CEOs of Cowboys commercial partners.<\/p>\n \u201cJerry\u2019s super-excited,\u201d Estis said. \u201cHe\u2019ll get the full flavor of it.\u201d<\/p>\n And nearly everyone in North Texas will reflect on what local leaders and citizens alike describe as a remarkable experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ARLINGTON, Texas \u2014 Overlooking midfield at AT&T Stadium is a private suite synonymous with its boss. Jerry Jones,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":372562,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[102,113,104,103,38362,6736,75054,80,731,9611,2256],"class_list":["post-372561","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news","tag-fifa-mens-world-cup","tag-france","tag-international-football","tag-nfl","tag-soccer","tag-spain","tag-sports-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372561","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=372561"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372561\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/372562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=372561"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=372561"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=372561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-2285233073-scaled.jpg\")
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