The World Cup is in Texas. Not passing through, not close by — in Texas, across two cities and nearly six weeks of football that will draw fans from every corner of the planet. Arlington and Houston are each hosting matches right now, and between them they're putting on more of the 2026 FIFA World Cup than any other pair of cities in the tournament. If you've never had a reason to care about international soccer, Argentina vs. Austria at AT&T Stadium on a Monday afternoon in June might be the thing that changes that.
Here's what's happening, where, and who's playing.
Two Texas Cities, Two Stadiums, One Tournament
Texas landed two of the sixteen host venues for the 2026 FIFA World Cup — the largest tournament in the sport's history at 48 teams and 104 matches across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The Dallas-Fort Worth area is represented by AT&T Stadium in Arlington, temporarily rebranded as Dallas Stadium under FIFA's corporate naming policy. Houston is hosting at NRG Stadium, which goes by Houston Stadium for the duration.
The Arlington venue is carrying more of the load. AT&T Stadium hosts nine total World Cup matches — five group stage games, two Round of 32 fixtures, a Round of 16, and a semifinal on July 14. That's the most matches assigned to any single venue in the tournament. The final itself goes to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, a decision that stung DFW organizers who'd been lobbying for the finale since the host city announcement in 2022, but nine matches including a semifinal is a genuinely remarkable result.
Houston gets seven. Five group stage games at NRG, a Round of 32 on June 29, and a Round of 16 on July 4 — yes, a knockout World Cup match on US Independence Day. That fixture ends around 2 p.m. Central, leaving the rest of the holiday intact.
AT&T Stadium, Arlington: The Numbers Don't Lie
Opened in September 2009 — George Strait performed the first event there, the Cowboys played the Giants on September 20 and drew 105,121, an NFL regular-season attendance record at the time — AT&T Stadium cost $1.15 billion to build and spans three million square feet. It is, by square footage, the largest domed structure in the world. The roof anchors on two steel arches, each weighing 3,255 tons, spanning 1,290 feet across the interior. Opening or closing takes about twelve minutes.
For the World Cup, FIFA is configuring the bowl for 94,000 seated fans, making it the largest venue in the tournament. Standard capacity is 80,000. The place has hosted Super Bowl XLV, the 2010 NBA All-Star Game (108,713 — a basketball attendance record), WrestleMania 38 across two nights, and Cotton Bowl classics since the game moved there from Fair Park in 2010. None of those events will have brought quite the international crowd mix that Argentina's group stage appearance will draw in June.
The stadium sits in the Arlington Entertainment District, directly across from Globe Life Field (Texas Rangers) and the old Choctaw Stadium. From DFW Airport, it's about ten miles south. FIFA's recommendation is the charter bus service from CentrePort Station — one stop from both Victory Station in Dallas and Central Station in Fort Worth, then a ten-minute walk to the gates.
Who's Playing in Arlington ⚽
The group stage lineup at AT&T Stadium is strong across the board. The defending world champion Argentina plays here twice.
- June 14 — Netherlands vs. Japan (Group F)
- June 17 — England vs. Croatia (Group L)
- June 22 — Argentina vs. Austria (Group J)
- June 25 — Japan vs. Sweden (Group F)
- June 27 — Jordan vs. Argentina (Group J)
Then knockout football: two Round of 32 matches on June 30 and July 3, a Round of 16 on July 6, and the semifinal on July 14. The semifinal winner plays in the final five days later in New Jersey.
England vs. Croatia on June 17 is a rematch of the 2018 World Cup semifinal, which Croatia won 2–1 in extra time and knocked England out. Argentina's two appearances bring Lionel Messi and the reigning champions to North Texas. The Netherlands, currently ranked among the top five in the world by FIFA, opened the tournament against Japan here on June 14.
NRG Stadium, Houston: The Original Retractable Roof
There's a detail about NRG Stadium that tends to get buried in the bigger story of AT&T's size: when it opened on August 24, 2002 as Reliant Stadium, it was the first NFL venue ever built with a retractable roof. The Astrodome — literally next door, visible from the NRG parking lots — had been the original answer to Houston's brutal summer heat when it opened in 1965. By 2002, Bob McNair and the new Houston Texans franchise needed something capable of handling a Houston summer while still functioning as a modern NFL stadium. The retractable roof was the answer. AT&T Stadium in Arlington, which opened seven years later in 2009, borrowed the concept.
NRG cost $352 million to build and seats 72,220 in standard configuration, expandable to 80,000. For the World Cup, FIFA is running it at 68,311 — a tournament-specific reconfiguration that adjusts media zones and field dimensions to meet FIFA requirements, including pulling up the artificial turf and installing temporary natural grass, which is mandatory for World Cup play. After the tournament, the stadium gets another name: NRG Energy announced in April 2026 that the venue will become Reliant Stadium again starting in August, the original name coming back around thirty-two years later.
The official fan festival runs in EaDo (East Downtown) at 2301 Dallas Street for the full 39 days of the tournament. METRORail's Green Line hits EaDo/Stadium station. For match days at NRG itself, the Red Line south to Stadium Park/Astrodome station puts you right at the gates.
Who's Playing in Houston ⚽
Houston's five group stage matches feature some of the more globally recognizable names in the field, anchored by two of Portugal's group games — which means Cristiano Ronaldo, barring injury, plays in Houston twice.
- June 14 — Germany vs. Curaçao (Group E)
- June 17 — Portugal vs. Democratic Republic of Congo (Group K)
- June 20 — Netherlands vs. Sweden (Group F)
- June 23 — Portugal vs. Uzbekistan (Group K)
- June 26 — Cabo Verde vs. Saudi Arabia (Group H)
Then a Round of 32 match June 29 and the Round of 16 on July 4. Nine total nations play group stage football in Houston: Germany, Portugal, Netherlands, Sweden, Curaçao, DR Congo, Uzbekistan, Cabo Verde, and Saudi Arabia. Germany's opener against Curaçao on June 14 is one of the first matches played in the United States during the tournament — and Germany brought a 7–1 scoreline in the books from that one.
Texas Had the World Cup Before
This is actually the second time Texas has hosted the men's World Cup. In 1994, the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park hosted six matches during the US-hosted tournament. The Cotton Bowl — built in 1930 and renovated specifically for the 1994 event at a cost of $2.8 million, which included removing seats to widen the field and installing natural grass — saw some memorable football. A quarterfinal between Brazil and the Netherlands went to 3–2, with Romario and Bebeto both scoring for Brazil and Bergkamp pulling one back for the Dutch, before Branco's free kick sealed it. Nigeria made their World Cup debut at the Cotton Bowl that year, beating Bulgaria 3–0 in front of 44,132 fans.
The 1994 Dallas games were played at the old Cowboys home. The 2026 games are at the new one, twelve miles west in Arlington. Thirty-two years apart, different stadiums, same Texas.
If You're Going — Or Just Watching
Tickets for remaining matches are available through FIFA's official channels and On Location, the authorized reseller. Knockout stage tickets in particular are limited. For Arlington, parking must be pre-purchased — no on-site sales on match days. The GoPass app covers public transit across DFW. For Houston, parking ranges from $99 to $700 pre-purchased through JustPark, and on-site sales are not available. The Red Line is the practical call.
The Dallas FIFA Fan Festival runs daily June 11 through July 19 at Fair Park — the same grounds as the 1994 Cotton Bowl. Houston's Fan Festival is in EaDo at 2301 Dallas Street, same window, free general admission.
Are you going to any of the Texas matches — and which game would you most want a ticket to?
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