Despite rocky stretches, businesses and local law enforcement scored some goals during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Londoner in Mockingbird Station drew crowds of England fans both before and after the England vs. Croatia match on June 17, with demand at times exceeding the pub’s capacity.
U.K. media outlets reported that hundreds of England supporters gathered at the pub the night of June 16 before the Three Lions’ match against Croatia at Dallas Stadium.
Dallas Police Department senior public information officer Corbin Rubinson said the department responded to the Londoner regarding crowds, but the crowd dispersed without incident, no injuries were reported, and no arrests were made at that point.
On June 17, following the match in which England beat Croatia 4-2, the Londoner management came to an agreement with fire inspectors to close for the rest of that day after exceeding the allowed occupancy twofold, according to Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans.
“Management, at the direction of Fire Inspectors, exhausted multiple options in an attempt to get to the allowable number, but the crowd was non-compliant. Management acknowledged that they had lost control of the crowd and decided they were going to shut down,” Evans said.
The Londoner in a post on social media at the time noted that it was thankful for the fans and doing its best to handle the crowds.
“We are incredibly grateful for the business and have done our absolute best to manage it,” the post read. “Reminder to our guests: We are in a complex of other businesses, but there are also residences in Mockingbird Station.”
The Londoner remained a popular spot to watch World Cup matches throughout the tournament.
North Texas has hosted nine World Cup matches, the most of any host city. The list of North Texas games began with the Netherlands vs. Japan, then continued with the England vs. Croatia game, Argentina vs. Austria, Japan vs. Sweden, Jordan vs. Argentina, Cote d’Ivoire vs. Norway, Australia vs. Egypt, and Portugal vs. Spain. Dallas Stadium also hosted a semifinal match between France and Spain on July 14. The 2026 FIFA World Cup culminated in the final match at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19.
In the Park Cities, law enforcement agencies said that everything clicked after a year spent preparing for the World Cup’s arrival. SMU’s Washburne Soccer and Track Stadium served as a training site for participating teams during the World Cup. The site, then known as Westcott Field, also served as a training ground during the 1994 World Cup.
“Dallas is one of the world’s most dynamic and globally connected cities, and SMU is proud to help welcome the FIFA World Cup to our region,” SMU President Jay Hartzell said. “This opportunity reflects the strength of our partnerships, our global community and the exceptional experiences available to our students and faculty.
The University Park police department had staff available, according to a city spokesperson, but the World Cup ran smoothly.
“Senior UPPD officials are on-site for FIFA activities that could have an impact on the University Park community,” city spokesperson Paige Ruedy said in June while matches were ongoing. “To date, we have been very pleased with local operations and have not encountered any situations that have exceeded the capacity of local resources.”
Highland Park Department of Public Safety Lt. Lance Koppa said in June that his department hadn’t seen traffic or parking issues related to World Cup practices or games.
Koppa said the Department of Public Safety had maintained increased staffing for practice and game days but hadn’t had to utilize on-call staff as of June 26.
“It’s better to be overprepared for big events like this, and that’s the mindset that we had going into it,” he added. “For us, it’s been a great experience.”
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