As the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaches, new reports are examining just how much of a kick the arrival of soccer fans from around the world will bring to North Texas’ economy.
AT&T Stadium, dubbed Dallas Stadium for the World Cup, will host nine matches, the most of any venue. In Dallas County, Washburne Stadium at SMU and the Cotton Bowl will serve as training sites, Fair Park will host a Fan Festival, and the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center has already begun setting up to be the International Broadcast Center.
Monica Paul, president of the North Texas FWC Organizing Committee and executive director of the Dallas Sports Commission, said ticket sales for World Cup matches also remain strong, particularly for group stage matches, and SMU will be an important training site for teams playing in North Texas.
Paul said efforts are still underway to connect local businesses with opportunities created by the arrival of the World Cup to provide products and services.
So just how much economic impact is the flurry of soccer activity expected to generate?
A report from Colliers projected an estimated economic impact of $2.1 billion — a big jump from the $600 million footprint the World Cup left when it was last hosted by Dallas in 1994.
A recent Oxford Economics report says that while Dallas and Houston are expected to see a bigger economic boost than host cities already popular with tourists, such as New York, Miami, and Boston, the impact may be more modest than anticipated.
The report cites Bureau of Labor Statistics data that forecasts a 2.6% GDP increase in Dallas’ leisure and hospitality sector this year. But it predicts that the World Cup will not impact overall job growth or GDP gains outside the hospitality sector.
“Healthy consumer spending by mainly high-income consumers, strong productivity gains offset by lower immigration, the war in Iran, and its hit to spending power will have a far greater impact on these metro economies than the 78 games across the 11 cities,” according to the report.
A new report from The American Hotel & Lodging Association found that 70% of Dallas and Houston respondents reported a booking pace below World Cup expectations, but still in line with a typical June or July.
Cullum Clark, director of the George W. Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative, also expects a modest economic boost.
“(The World Cup) is exciting and fun for people who are really into soccer (but) it’s easy to exaggerate the actual economic significance for the region or for the city of Dallas,” Clark said. “For a limited time, there will be, for a great many restaurants and hotels, fantastic business.”
He said one change could have a bigger economic impact — cities could permanently behave as if they were trying to attract major events.
“If it’s a nice place to visit, pretty good chance it’s a nice place to live too,” Clark said, “and maybe a nice, fun place to do business.”
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