Guide to the 2026 World Cup Venue

AT&T Stadium narrowly missed out on hosting rights for the 2026 World Cup final, with MetLife Stadium in New Jersey selected as the venue of choice in February 2024. MetLife Stadium was preferred to the Arlington, Texas-based ground due to its accessibility and the amount of accommodation in New York. AT&T Stadium will be renamed ‘Dallas Stadium’ during the nine matches that take place at the ground, due to FIFA’s rules on sponsorship naming rights.

There are 11 stadiums in the United States that will be used in the upcoming tournament, and AT&T Stadium is one of the largest grounds. Estadio Azteca has the biggest capacity at 87,523, while AT&T Stadium has a capacity of 80,000. The facility can be expanded to accommodate just over 100,000 people with standing room, but it is currently expected that around 90,000 fans will be inside the stadium in 2026. This is due to renovation work that is required to meet FIFA’s criteria, which includes raising the pitch level by 15 feet to create additional width on the surface.

Key Stadium Details

Located in Arlington, Texas, AT&T Stadium is predominantly used for American football. It is the home ground for the Dallas Cowboys, who play in the NFL. They have played here since 2009 and competed in a playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles in January 2010 – a match they won 34-14.

The venue also hosted Super Bowl XLV in February 2011, which was contested between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Green Bay Packers beat their opponents 31-25 in front of 103,219 people. On 20th September 2009, the Dallas Cowboys’ match against the New York Giants saw 105,121 fans inside the stadium, which remains a record attendance for American football games here.

The construction cost of the venue was $1.4bn (£1.1bn), which includes a retractable roof and a large screen which hangs over the middle of the pitch. In the next couple of years, the HDTV video board will be upgraded along with other elements inside the stadium. The cost of the renovations that are planned to be completed ahead of the 2026 World Cup is $350 million. Cowboys Owner, President and General Manager Jerry Jones announced in 2023 that the planned renovations will include:

Seating Chart/Seat View

Above the pitch in the middle of the venue, there is a four-sided stadium video display with four LED screens showing the action. It is one of the largest in the world, weighing over 1 million pounds and measuring 72 feet high and 160 feet high. This ensures that fans on all four sides of the ground can rewatch the action or half-time displays on the big screens.

There are also 380 hospitality suites across five levels at AT&T Stadium. This can accommodate over 12,000 fans in VIP areas for major events, and these spaces are set to be expanded as part of the renovations for the 2026 World Cup. You can access an interactive stadium map on the website, which highlights gate entries, parking, and concession stands across the facility. Jones believes that the investment in the stadium will continue to improve the fan experience for years to come. In August 2023, he said:

Parking

Parking at the AT&T Stadium typically opens five hours before Cowboys matches in the regular season. There are around 12,000 spaces located in 15 lots across the stadium. As well as this, there are 12,000 parking spots around the Texas Rangers Ballpark, which are used by supporters on matchdays. You can view full details on parking availability on the official stadium website.

Accessible parking spots are available at all 15 of the lots outside the ground. They are given to fans on a first come, first-served basis, and a valid parking pass must be provided to leave your car in these designated spaces. On the AT&T Stadium website, they remind guests that “A state-issued placard or license plate is required to park in accessible parking spaces. Violators will be subject to citation and possible revocation of season parking privileges.”

Historic Events at AT&T Stadium

AT&T Stadium has a proven track record of hosting big sporting events and music concerts. In February 2010, the venue hosted the NBA All-Star Game, which was attended by just over 108,000 fans. The East squad narrowly beat the West 141-139, with the likes of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant taking part for both teams.

As well as hosting the Super Bowl, the AT&T Stadium has hosted the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship. On this occasion, the Ohio State Buckeyes beat the Oregon Ducks. Other major events that have taken place here include historic boxing fights, including Canelo Alvarez and Manny Pacquiao. In 2016, the Texas-based stadium was the venue for WrestleMania 32, which saw over 100,000 fans in attendance.

Since opening in 2010, the Cowboys’ stadium has hosted numerous high-profile music concerts. Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Coldplay, and Ed Sheeran have all performed here. Notably, in June 2014, 104,793 fans came to a George Strait event, which remains the highest attendance for a concert at the AT&T Stadium. Taylor Swift recently performed at this venue three days in a row in April 2023, with over 210,000 fans attending these concerts as part of The Eras Tour.

The first football matches held at the AT&T Stadium were in July 2009. They were both CONCACAF Gold Cup games contested between Costa Rica and Guadeloupe, as well as Mexico and Haiti. Since then, there have been numerous pre-season friendlies at this ground, including AS Roma against Barcelona in 2018 and an El Clásico match in July 2023, which saw just over 82,000 fans attend.

In the 2024 Copa America, the Texas-based venue hosted three matches, including two group stage games and a quarter-final tie. The first of these was a goalless draw between Peru and Chile before the hosts, the USA, beat Bolivia 2-0. Canada then beat Venezuela on penalties in the quarter-final match. For the 2026 World Cup, nine games will take place here, including four knockout clashes. The semi-final on 14th July will be played at this ground, instead of hosting the final after they narrowly missed out on the rights to the MetLife Stadium.

Jones declared that he was “disappointed” that they had lost the battle to host the 2026 final. He said:

Information gathered from Transfermarkt and AT&T Stadium.