North Texas leaders sorting through logistics for 2026 FIFA World Cup

DALLAS — Leaders sat down for a panel discussion to plan out all of the logistics to bring one of the world’s largest events to North Texas.

Dallas will be hosting nine matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including the coveted semi-final, at AT&T Stadium. 

Monica Paul with the Dallas Sports Commission, Arlington Mayor Jim Ross and Michael Morris with the North Central Texas Council of Governments are expecting hundreds of thousands of people to travel here to see these matches, which will be an economic boom that’s equivalent to hosting multiple Super Bowls within a couple of weeks time. 

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And with an event of this magnitude, safety and security are obviously top of mind. 

“We coordinate all of the safety measures with regional partnerships, with other local police and law enforcement agencies here, with state agencies and with federal agencies,” Ross said. “We hold no punches when it comes to tapping into the experts and keeping our communities safe.”

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Mayor Ross said that they wouldn’t have been trusted with nine games if FIFA didn’t think they could keep everyone safe. In fact, leaders have been using events at AT&T Stadium as test runs for the World Cup. 

There were hundreds of thousands of people moving in and out of the Arlington Entertainment District when Taylor Swift came to Arlington for her Eras World Tour. So, organizers used it as an opportunity to figure out which transportation systems needed upgrading. They decided they’re going to upgrade some of the locomotives on some of our rail transportation that were already probably going to be upgraded after the World Cup. They’re just expediting the process so that when the World Cup rolls into town, all systems will operate smoothly. 

Madison Sawyer

Madison Sawyer is the traffic anchor and reporter for CBS 11 News This Morning, helping North Texans avoid tie-ups on the morning commute.