\n AT&T Stadium and scenes from three of the nine 2026 FIFA World Cup matches played at Dallas Stadium, including appearances by Lionel Messi, Harry Kane, Luka Modri\u0107, Japan and Sweden | Images by Kurtis Toliver\/Shutterstock and FIFA World Cup\/@FIFAWorldCup on X; compilation by DX <\/p>\n
Spain punched its ticket to Sunday\u2019s World Cup final Tuesday, and it happened right here in North Texas.<\/p>\n
La Roja shut out France 2-0 in the semifinal<\/a>, the last of nine<\/a> matches at Dallas Stadium. Mikel Oyarzabal converted a 22nd-minute penalty after Lucas Digne caught Lamine Yamal while attempting a clearance, and Pedro Porro doubled the lead in the 58th minute with a give-and-go finish past Mike Maignan.<\/p>\n Spain held France to two shots on target, neutralizing Kylian Mbapp\u00e9 and a French attack that had looked nearly unstoppable throughout the tournament. The victory sent Spain back to the final for the first time since its 2010 title run.<\/p>\n England and Argentina play at 2 p.m. CT Wednesday<\/a> in Atlanta to determine who will face Spain in the final.<\/p>\n With the July 14 semifinal in the books, Dallas Stadium\u2019s nine-match run as a 2026 FIFA World Cup host is complete. The venue hosted more matches than any other stadium in the tournament, and the last month gave Arlington plenty to remember.<\/p>\n Nine matches, no shortage of drama<\/p>\n Dallas Stadium hosted five group-stage games and four knockout-round fixtures.<\/p>\n The run began June 14 with a 2-2 draw<\/a> between the Netherlands and Japan. England followed with a 4-2 win<\/a> over Croatia on June 17, when FC Dallas forward Petar Musa became the first<\/a> active FC Dallas player to score at a World Cup.<\/p>\n But the moment that put Arlington in the World Cup record book came June 22.<\/p>\n As The Dallas Express witnessed<\/a> live, Lionel Messi delivered a two-goal performance against Austria that broke Miroslav Klose\u2019s men\u2019s World Cup scoring record. Messi\u2019s first-half strike gave him 17 career World Cup goals, moving him past Klose\u2019s 16. His stoppage-time finish pushed the record to 18 and sealed a 2-0 Argentina win in front of a sellout crowd.<\/p>\n The Messi frenzy alone gave Texas a permanent piece of World Cup history.<\/p>\n Japan and Sweden played to a 1-1 draw three days later. FIFA also installed black curtains<\/a> along the stadium\u2019s west-facing glass wall for the first time during a major sporting event, a temporary fix for the sunlight glare Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has long dismissed calls to address during NFL games.<\/p>\n Argentina returned to Arlington on June 27 for its first-ever meeting<\/a> with Jordan, closing group play with a 3-1 victory<\/a>.<\/p>\n The knockout stretch<\/p>\n Arlington\u2019s knockout schedule began June 30 with Norway\u2019s 2-1 win<\/a> over Ivory Coast in the round of 32.<\/p>\n Australia and Egypt then played to a 1-1 draw on July 3 before Egypt advanced 4-2 on penalties<\/a>, sending the Pharaohs to the round of 16 for the first time in the country\u2019s history.<\/p>\n