Race For World Cup Final: Dallas Touts Ticketed Event For 200K Fans

In the high-stakes race to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, Dallas is leaning into what it sees as an unrivaled advantage: unprecedented scale for the event.

Dan Hunt, co-owner of MLS’ FC Dallas and chairman of Dallas’ World Cup host city bid, told The U.S. Sun that he envisions a ticketed event encompassing 200,000 people across the entire Arlington, Texas, sports complex. 

The Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, the bidding venue for the final itself, has a standard capacity of 80,000 that can be expanded to about 100,000. The neighboring Globe Life Field, home of MLB’s Texas Rangers, seats 40,300 more, while the Rangers’ former home, Choctaw Stadium, seats another 48,114.

Those latter two stadiums would be used in a match simulcast setting using their jumbotrons or in some other type of fan event.

“One of my big pitches to FIFA is, if we get the final, we can do something that nobody else can do, which is maybe a ticketed event of up to 200,000 people,” Hunt said. “The Rangers are all in on this. They’ve been very committed to making this happen.”

A decision on the location of the final is expected by the end of the year. Dallas and New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium are said to be the two leading candidates. Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, one thought to be another major candidate for the final, could lose out on hosting any World Cup matches amid ongoing revenue-sharing and facility issues. 

The U.S. is co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada.