49 replies to this topic

[elpingüino]

The Dallas Business Journal published a really interesting interview with Monica Paul, Executive Director of the Dallas Sports Commission, which is "tasked with bringing sporting events to North Texas and competes with other large U.S. metro areas trying to do the same."

 

Lots of interesting stuff, but what really caught my attention is what she had to say about the 2026 World Cup. The Commission is aiming to land:

• Six group-stage matches at AT&T Stadium
• The championship match, or at least a semifinal
• The international broadcast center, which would mean hosting 10,000+ media members in the region. The broadcast center was here for the 1994 World Cup as well.
• Various "base camps" where a team trains for a month. They'd fly to the sites of their matches, then fly back here to keep practicing. Reminds me of the Steelers using TCU as their home base before the Super Bowl.

[tamtagon]

Would be really good timing for North Texas.

[elpingüino]

North Texas takes another step toward being a host for 2026 World Cup
Final decisions are expected in December.

[JBB]

I feel like this area has a great chance at hosting games and possibly the broadcast center given the history with the '94 World Cup.  I have a huge interest in attending a game.  I'll be interested to see which 6 cities get left out of the loop.  I have a feeling Dallas/Arlington getting the nod is going to leave Houston, Denver, KC, and Nashville on the outside looking in, especially if Atlanta, Orlando, and Miami are selected as well.  

[Stadtplan]

I feel like this area has a great chance at hosting games and possibly the broadcast center given the history with the '94 World Cup.  I have a huge interest in attending a game.  I'll be interested to see which 6 cities get left out of the loop.  I have a feeling Dallas/Arlington getting the nod is going to leave Houston, Denver, KC, and Nashville on the outside looking in, especially if Atlanta, Orlando, and Miami are selected as well.  

I imagine Pizza Hut Park is too small for consideration?

[Jeriat]

 

I feel like this area has a great chance at hosting games and possibly the broadcast center given the history with the '94 World Cup.  I have a huge interest in attending a game.  I'll be interested to see which 6 cities get left out of the loop.  I have a feeling Dallas/Arlington getting the nod is going to leave Houston, Denver, KC, and Nashville on the outside looking in, especially if Atlanta, Orlando, and Miami are selected as well.  

I imagine Pizza Hut Park is too small for consideration?

 

 

I would say so...

Honestly, I couldn't imagine Houston being out of consideration. I know we have the more grand and "newer" stadium, but as a host city, Houston itself beats the entire Metroplex as a whole.

[Stadtplan]

Houston itself beats the entire Metroplex as a whole.

 

 

Blasphemy....

[txbornviking]

 

 

I feel like this area has a great chance at hosting games and possibly the broadcast center given the history with the '94 World Cup.  I have a huge interest in attending a game.  I'll be interested to see which 6 cities get left out of the loop.  I have a feeling Dallas/Arlington getting the nod is going to leave Houston, Denver, KC, and Nashville on the outside looking in, especially if Atlanta, Orlando, and Miami are selected as well.  

I imagine Pizza Hut Park is too small for consideration?

 

 

I would say so...

Honestly, I couldn't imagine Houston being out of consideration. I know we have the more grand and "newer" stadium, but as a host city, Houston itself beats the entire Metroplex as a whole.

 

 

The potential host venues in Houston are all easily accessible via transit as well...

[Jeriat]

 

Houston itself beats the entire Metroplex as a whole.

 

 

Blasphemy....

 

 

Yeah, Houston's my 2nd home, so that "Dallas vs. Houston" crap means nothing to me. 

Tell me where I'm wrong in this case? Everything in Houston is right there and properly connected to rail/bus. Arlington ruins everything by themselves by being too stubborn to even get a charter system out there.

[JBB]

This area has the advantage of two potential hosting stadiums in the AT&T and the Cotton Bowl.  And strictly from a game watching perspective I would put the Cotton Bowl at an advantage.  Even with uncomfortable seating, bad amenities, and the potential for 100+ degree heat indexes even for night games, it's just built for a better experience, especially for soccer.

 

Does the Houston have a second venue like the Cotton Bowl?  BBVA has a 4th of its capacity and Rice is still considerably smaller.

[Stadtplan]

 

Houston itself beats the entire Metroplex as a whole.
 

 
Blasphemy....
 

 
Yeah, Houston's my 2nd home, so that "Dallas vs. Houston" crap means nothing to me. 

Tell me where I'm wrong in this case? Everything in Houston is right there and properly connected to rail/bus. Arlington ruins everything by themselves by being too stubborn to even get a charter system out there.

Jeriat, I was just giving you a hard time. I do not have a preference either way. I think both regions are viable options.

[Jeriat]

This area has the advantage of two potential hosting stadiums in the AT&T and the Cotton Bowl.  And strictly from a game watching perspective I would put the Cotton Bowl at an advantage.  Even with uncomfortable seating, bad amenities, and the potential for 100+ degree heat indexes even for night games, it's just built for a better experience, especially for soccer.

 

Does the Houston have a second venue like the Cotton Bowl?  BBVA has a 4th of its capacity and Rice is still considerably smaller.

TDECU at U of H is large enough, but I don't know if the field dimensions would be acceptable by FIFA standards... but I'd think they would.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Houston itself beats the entire Metroplex as a whole.
 

 
Blasphemy....
 

 
Yeah, Houston's my 2nd home, so that "Dallas vs. Houston" crap means nothing to me. 

Tell me where I'm wrong in this case? Everything in Houston is right there and properly connected to rail/bus. Arlington ruins everything by themselves by being too stubborn to even get a charter system out there.

Jeriat, I was just giving you a hard time. I do not have a preference either way. I think both regions are viable options.

 

 

I know. I wasn't being harsh, just honest. 

[JBB]

Its only 40,000 seats, smaller than Rice Stadium.

[Jeriat]

Its only 40,000 seats, smaller than Rice Stadium.

That's actually surprising seeing how Rice has significantly reduced capacity since the 90s. 

[JBB]

Built at 70000, now at 47000.

[george84]

I didnt even know they reduced the capacity. Im from Houston but have been in Fort Worth for more than a decade now. Its hard to believe Rice Stadium hosted a Super Bowl back in the 70s. It wasnt quite as big of a production back in those days though Im sure.

[JBB]

That was the only one in the first 15 not hosted in Los Angeles/Pasadena, New Orleans, or Miami.

[renamerusk]

DFW !

 

Remember not too long ago, World Cup to come to NT/DFW and how excited the FWF was about this.  I'm not falling for the "Lets do this together" when it comes to the assets/resources needed; but lets not give nod to Arlington or Fort Worth when it comes to the brand.  DSC appropriates Arlington's AT&T Stadium and the Fort Worth's Herd without  crediting either as a Dallas-esque Thing is pretty damn brazen.  This campaign has to be branded as FW & D or include me out because I refuse to be suckered yet again into automatically falling for "The Dallas Privilege".

 

Take a look at the approach taken by competing commissions:

 

https://www.dallassp....org/index.html

 

https://www.fortwort...ortscommission/

 

 

Something else, due to the nature of NASCAR ( Camping, RV, etc) how much is the real impact of the races held at TMS to the local sales taxes because from my observation, these fans come already fully stock and my guess is that very few shop or dine in Fort Worth restaurants.

[elpingüino]

FIFA officials visited the area over the weekend. There's little doubt that AT&T Stadium will host some games, just a matter of whether it lands the final. New details: they plan to install a natural grass field, and Sundance Square would host a fan fest, similar to what they had ahead of the Super Bowl.

https://www.wfaa.com...95-9623b85f921e

https://amp.star-tel...e255252161.html

[Stadtplan]

Does FIFA consider how to get to AT&T stadium using public transportation from either of the airports or downtown FW / downtown Dallas?

[elpingüino]

Yes:
"FIFA requires far more from bidding cities than just an appropriate stadium, a big population and a good airport. Modern training facilities must be made available to participating national teams, as well as transportation capacity, tax abatements, security and policing resources, substantial hotel volumes, sites for Fan Fest events and more."

https://www.mlssocce...rld-cup-matches

[Austin55]

SoFI (LA), Allegiant (Las Vegas) and Mercedes (Atlanta) are tough competition for AT&T. 

[eastfwther]

 

 

https://www.dallassp....org/index.html

 

https://www.fortwort...ortscommission/

 

 

 

OMG....Whomever was in charge of creating that Fort Worth web page should be fired immediately.  That is downright embarrassing and just plain lazy.  And  we wonder why Dallas gets all the shine for everything  "DFW".  It looks like Dallas actually puts in the WORK. 

[gdvanc]

Really I thought the Dallas one was pretty horrible. Kind of jarring. Too busy.

[eastfwther]

Really I thought the Dallas one was pretty horrible. Kind of jarring. Too busy.

So it got your attention;  as a web page advertising your city is supposed to do?    I swear, the Fort Worth page looks exactly like the page to my niece's day care, only less exciting. 

[gdvanc]

So it got your attention;  as a web page advertising your city is supposed to do?    I swear, the Fort Worth page looks exactly like the page to my niece's day care, only less exciting.

Well they both got my attention at some level, but simply making an impression isn't the goal; associating a positive impression with the 'product' is the goal.

I think Dallas' sports commission's home page has more going on is because they are an independent group with their own web site. Fort Worth's sports commission is just a department under Visit Fort Worth (the old Convention and Visitors Bureau) and their web presence seems to be just a handful of pages under Visit Fort Worth's site - those pages basically sticking with the design of other sub-pages on the site.

At the end of the day, I doubt that either site has a significant impact on the success of their respective organizations. An organization like FIFA isn't out browsing sports commission web sites for ideas about where to host their events, and the commissions aren't just sending out links to their sites to generate interest.

 

As for the topic at hand, I wonder if there is solid data available about the historical economic impact of having group-stage matches or semifinals or the international broadcast center. And for how much can I rent out my house?

[elpingüino]

Fort Worth to court international soccer team in push to promote youth sports

The city is pursuing an FC Barcelona youth academy. Cary Moon says a new soccer complex could be built at Walsh Ranch, independent from the plans to build one at Basswood and 35W.

In this article, Cary Moon also promotes a new soccer complex as an opportunity for Fort Worth to host a team during the 2026 World Cup.

[elpingüino]

Host cities announcement is tomorrow. Arlington is said to be one of two contenders to host the World Cup final, possibly having an edge over NYC because AT&T Stadium has a roof. https://sports.yahoo...-170311724.html

[JBB]

Dallas has been announced as part of the Central region.  Houston as well.  Notably, Kansas City made the Central region and both Denver and the Rose Bowl were left out.

[Jeriat]

Dallas has been announced as part of the Central region.  Houston as well.  Notably, Kansas City made the Central region and both Denver and the Rose Bowl were left out.

I'm honestly not surprised about the Rose Bowl, now that SoFi Stadium exists. 

[Austin55]

An ESPN reporter is saying AT&T will host the finals. 

 

https://twitter.com/...807393715855363

[elpingüino]

With 2026 World Cup potentially bringing millions of dollars, Fort Worth pushes to become home for visiting national team

[elpingüino]

Fort Worth Report series:
With 2026 World Cup potentially bringing millions of dollars, Fort Worth pushes to become home for visiting national team
and
Regional officials consider traffic challenges for 2026 World Cup

[Volare]

I recently had the opportunity to attend the 3rd place match at the Women's World Cup in Brisbane Australia. This was a match between Australia and Sweden. Since the local team was featured we figured tickets would be impossible to get. Fortunately the organizers require a certain portion of tickets be set aside for citizens of countries other than the hosts (NZ and Australia). So believe it or not we got tickets the day before the match for $50US. Insane.

 

Anyway, the stadium is right in downtown Brisbane, and features no parking for cars. The only way you can come in a car is if you have a mobility issue and have a ticket as such. Otherwise-no. Instead they have buses and trains all thru the area, and all are free to come and go to the game. We waited about 20 minutes at the end of the match until we could board a bus back to our hotel. It was superior in every way to driving/stuck in traffic, etc.

[JBB]

But could you walk across the street after the game to buy some toilet paper at Wal Mart or have a tasty Beef n' Cheddar at Arbys?

[elpingüino]

Arlington will host five 2026 World Cup group stage matches on June 14, June 17, June 22, June 25 and June 27. None of the games will feature the United States. Final and semifinals about to be announced

[elpingüino]

The official announcement was a surprise, New Jersey gets the final. Arlington gets a semifinal, and nine games total

[Austin55]

Lotta surprise from local organizers who though AT&T would get it.

[John T Roberts]

I was surprised also.  However, MetLife Stadium has transit.

[Stadtplan]

Arlington will host five 2026 World Cup group stage matches on June 14, June 17, June 22, June 25 and June 27. None of the games will feature the United States. Final and semifinals about to be announced

 

It's interesting to see how the next phase of hotel construction in Arlington (Sheraton demo) lines up / overlaps with this schedule? 

[JBB]

I didn't think that Arlington would get the final.  I felt all along like it would end up in New York/New Jersey or Los Angeles.  I don't see any reason why anyone should be diappointed.  9 games including a semi-final match is an amazing consolation prize.

[elpingüino]

I don't see any reason why anyone should be diappointed.  9 games including a semi-final match is an amazing consolation prize.

Agreed, the S-T reported that local organizers were expecting 4 or 5 games, so 9 is huge. 800,000 to 1 million in total game attendance will have quite the economic impact.

[rriojas71]

They stated one reason for no final was due to lack of Public Transportation.  A semi final is great but the final would have been huge.  Way to go Jerry.  Way to go Arlington.

[Stadtplan]

They stated one reason for no final was due to lack of Public Transportation.  A semi final is great but the final would have been huge.  Way to go Jerry.  Way to go Arlington.

 

I read  Mac Engel's article this morning where he said Mayor Jim Ross dismissed the idea that is was due to a lack of public transportation.  

https://www.star-tel...trendingstories

[elpingüino]

It's going to be renamed "Dallas Stadium" during the World Cup: https://www.wfaa.com...24-50cc51666a7c

[Austin55]

Arlington is mad cause they got left out and the place is in Arlington

Dallas is mad cause they don't want to be associated with Arlington

Fort Worth is made cause they got left out and it's not really Dallas

 

 

They just made everyone mad essentially. 

[JBB]

Cry me a river.  Being mad about anything when your local stadium is hosting 9 events in one of the most watched sports tournaments in the world is flat out stupid.  How much better would this area be if its leaders didn't turn everything into a regional male reproductive organ measuring contest?

[roverone]

It does seem as that if MetLife Stadium could be known as "New York New Jersey Stadium", that there might have been a little more room for a more regional name here.

[Jeriat]

They stated one reason for no final was due to lack of Public Transportation.  A semi final is great but the final would have been huge.  Way to go Jerry.  Way to go Arlington.

 

Jerry has nothing to do with that.

This is aaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll on Arlington. 

[Jeriat]

Cry me a river.  Being mad about anything when your local stadium is hosting 9 events in one of the most watched sports tournaments in the world is flat out stupid.  How much better would this area be if its leaders didn't turn everything into a regional male reproductive organ measuring contest?

 

Just a personal assessment of this that I've noticed:

When it was announced that this area was going to be a site for the World Cup (as expected), it was all DALLAS. "DALLAS is hosting." "DALLAS could be getting the Final." DALLAS this and DALLAS that. 

...then when it was announced that the Final wasn't coming to Jerryworld (or "Dallas Stadium", for the time being), all of a sudden it became OUR problem and it was DFW or Arlington getting more mentions than it did before. It was the same way when we got the Super Bowl. It was generally seen as Dallas, even big time talking head Colin Cowherd saying "Fort Worth's a great city in Dallas",  then when the freak ice storm hit, all of a sudden the area was "too spread out" and North Texas was never getting to host another Super Bowl again.

I've gone on about this a million times and I will never back down on my thoughts on what Fort Worth needs to focus on as a city... and that's Fort Worth.

But it seems to me like Dallas loves hogging all the glory and sharing all the blame. And I say that mainly because of their mayor and his mouth... that's all I'm gonna say because I don't feel like getting deeper into that.