When Jerry Jones created AT&T Stadium just over a decade ago, the Cowboys owner and GM had more than just professional football on his mind.
In his latest attempt to branch out into other sectors of the sports world, Jones, along with the Dallas Sports Commission, presented a pitch to FIFA that made the case for Dallas to be the 2026 World Cup host city.
Dan Hunt, Dallas 2026 Committee Chairman and FC Dallas President, said after the proposal ended, “Today was our opportunity to present (to FIFA) and we had representation from the city of Dallas, from the Cowboys and AT&T Stadium, and FC Dallas.”
Hunt would go on to add, “We walked them through why Dallas is such a great city and why our region and metroplex can host such successful events. Obviously, one of the big ones is that we have a first-class stadium at AT&T Stadium. It can host – and has hosted – many of the great world events already.”
Jones chimed in about his grand plans for the stadium, “When I was thinking about building AT&T Stadium, I knew we wanted a great place for 100,000 people to have a unique experience. We’re ready to do what we can to make this World Cup the most special of them all.”
AT&T Stadium may be known for hosting the NFL’s most valuable franchise’s home games, but Jones has already used his state of the art arena to for many of the world’s most prestigious sporting events.
Some of the more substantial events include: 2010 NBA All-Star game (world record 108,713 fans for a basketball game), Superbowl XLV, 2014 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four, 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship, the yearly Cotton Bowl, Wrestlemania, three world championship boxing matches, and numerous international soccer matches (majority were CONCACAF Gold Cup matches).
Dallas is no stranger to the World Cup, as it played host, along with nine other U.S. cities, to the world’s largest sporting event in 1994.
An event of this size would have a massive impact on the Dallas area. Dallas Sports Commission Executive Director Monica Paul stated their projections include $400 million in revenue and 3,000 jobs created for the span of the event.
A final decision on the host city is expected to be made in second half of 2021.