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Inside Dallas 2026: N o r t h Te x a s W a n t s N e x t
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Building a Legacy that Lasts T h e N o r t h Te x a s S p o r t s F o u n d a t i o n is Making an Impact On and Off the Pitch
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inside Dallas 2026: north texas wants next By Ben Harbuck
Monica Paul and her Dallas Sports Commission team spent nine years working towards the summer that just ended, and when the final whistle blew, North Texas hosted more of the FIFA World Cup than anyone else in North America. Nine matches at AT&T Stadium, the International Broadcast Center at Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, two base camps - one in Frisco and one in Mansfield, and a Fan Festival that ran 39 straight days at Fair Park. By the end of it all, the president of the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee and Executive Director of the Dallas Sports Commission called it a once-in-a-generation opportunity that exceeded everyone’s expectations. Paul and her team made the final product look easy from outside. The nine years underneath it were anything but. It really started with a pair of losses. When the U.S. missed out on hosting the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, North Texas didn’t wait and hope; it started preparing. Paul and her team brought Concacaf Gold Cup matches, Copa América, annual MexTour matches, and countless premier soccer friendlies until running major international soccer inside AT&T Stadium was muscle memory. By the time 2026 rolled around, the hard part wasn’t soccer. The hard part was getting people to and from the stadium safely. North Texas is not known for its pub-
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lic transportation, and for a tournament full of international visitors, that is exactly the kind of gap that can turn into a major stress point. The North Central Texas Council of Governments drew up a workaround plan, building off strategies the region had run in 2014 and 2023, then tested it three separate times before the crowds ever showed up. What fans experienced was almost seamless. They rode Trinity Metro or DART out to the TRE CentrePort Station, hopped on one of the many complimentary charter buses, and got dropped off a few parking lots from AT&T Stadium, then did the whole thing in reverse on the way home.
An estimated five to seven thousand people used the system on match days, and the region came away with no reports of major incidents, gridlock, or accidents. “It is something we will probably continue to use for all major events in the future,” Paul
said. Getting there took eighteen expert teams, three years, working through safety, security, logistics, medical response, and heat, which is why shade structures and cooling stations were treated as infrastructure rather than courtesy. By the time the crowds arrived, police, fire crews, EMS, transit agencies, bus drivers, and a small army of volunteers had all learned to move as one. The grass had similar treatment in terms of preparation. AT&T Stadium had laid natural grass before, but never for a month and a half straight. Copa América in 2024 was the trial run at keeping the pitch alive and well over a long stretch. The final solution was shipped from Colorado, a Kentucky bluegrass and ryegrass blend, laid piece by piece over several inches of soil, then kept alive by grow lights running about 12 hours at a time. Stadium general manager Tod Martin put the job at roughly 45,000 hours of labor and 15,000 tons of material. Nine matches later, Ian Craig, FIFA’s pitch manager in North Texas, was very pleased with the results: “It’s performed exactly how we wanted it throughout the tournament”. The transportation and the grass were pieces North Texas could plan for. The rest of the summer showed up on its own. Paul recalls early in this process hearing stories from 1994, the last time Dallas hosted FIFA, and she hopes the legacy of this summer’s memories will live on as well. From the Dutch Oranje Army rolling in for the opener with their bus and their fan march, Japanese supporters staying behind to clean the stadium after their matches,
English fans drinking some of the local pubs dry, and who could forget the Norwegian Viking row and Erling Haaland shopping for cowboy boots at Wild Bill’s. It’s stories like these that local business owners, hospitality workers, and residents will be telling their friends and family for a lifetime.
That side of the legacy has already been displayed all over social media and in water-cooler conversations throughout the region. The money, on the other hand, will take longer to count, though early economic impact projections show positive signs. More positives are coming from initiatives launched by the North Texas FWC Organizing Committee. The North Texas Business Connect program steered vendor work toward local companies, so local business owners were able to benefit from all the fun going on around the tournament. From local food vendors stationed out at Fan Festival, to local manufacturers who helped build and print signage across DFW.
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More will benefit from what we learned and what we built. Paul explained in an interview that there are now more buses and rail cars for public transportation plans & future major events. Counter-drone security equipment that will stay in the region for future security purposes. The World Cup also enabled the region to officially form the North Texas Sports Foundation (NTXSF) to start building even more legacy efforts for the community beyond the pitch. Included in those efforts are the NTXSF and North Texas FWC Organizing Committee’s work to build numerous mini-pitches in neighborhoods that never had them, giving youth a safe place to play. These are all products of this tournament that will live on for future generations, with more mini pitches still on the horizon.
None of it is accidental. Paul has been treating the entire summer as raw material. She describes 39 days of lessons learned as “something that I think we’ll be able to take forward and build upon any future events that we’re looking to host,” and she has never been shy about which event she has in mind, calling it a “quest to be considered as a host city for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup.”
That campaign has already begun, running inside the Fan Festival. The North Texas Sports Foundation set up their “Now. Next. North Texas.” activation at Fan Festival, where fans could sign a petition to bring the Women’s World Cup here in 2031, follow along on social, and get updates on the journey. By the last match, those signatures stretched more than 400 feet of vinyl paper, an estimated 20,000+ names mostly from DFW residents.
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A short walk away at Fan Festival stood Lyda Hill Philanthropies’ IF/THEN Initiative. Named the “#IfThenSheCan: Game Changers,” the exhibit was a set of 26 life-size statues 3D printed right here in Dallas, honoring women whose work powers modern sports, from performance science and sports medicine to data analytics, stadium engineering, and biomechanics. Julie Foudy and Lucy Li are in the collection, as are Cynt Marshall and Dr. Colleen M. Hacker. Each statue carried a QR code that pulled up a video of the woman it depicts. The exhibit was free and open all 39 days. Further exemplifying North Texas’s mission to celebrate women’s excellence in sports and beyond. North Texas has been building its case long before 2026. This is a region that hosts women’s sports at the highest level and continues to raise the bar. Starting with the 2017 & 2023 NCAA Women’s Final Four at American Airlines Center, where history was made on both occasions. The NCAA came away impressed enough to book Dallas again - in 2031. The professional teams have kept pace, and fans’ appetite for women’s sports is higher than ever before. The Wings have sold out season tickets for three years running, Dallas Trinity FC made the playoffs in each of its first two seasons and continues to see attendance numbers rising. At the same time, the Dallas Pulse won a Major League Volleyball title in year one, the first expansion team in league history to pull that off.
The infrastructure case remains as strong as it did for 2026; AT&T Stadium sits among the U.S. venues proposed in the joint bid, with Frisco’s Toyota Stadium in the mix, and Fair Park as a potential Fan Fest site. Monica has remained calculated, stating: “We are just now in the preliminary bid phase with U.S. Soccer in putting our information together,” with her team still sorting out how the women’s requirements differ from the men’s and asking FIFA and U.S. Soccer what the footprint will look like. The tournament has to be officially awarded to the joint bid before anyone starts choosing host cities. What North Texas has that most candidates don’t is nine matches of fresh data. “Now that we’ve kind of been through this one, we’ll be able to analyze some of the data,” Paul said, with a goal she summed up as: “We are looking to put our best foot forward for 2031.” Nine years of work brought this region something specific; it no longer has to argue about whether it can. The transportation plan exists and has been run at full scale, security measures are in place, the stadium has grown the grass, the volunteers know the job, and the entire region has proven they can move as one. The ball is now at FIFA’s feet. North Texas wants next. To follow along the journey to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2031, sign up for email updates or find our social media pages through the links below.
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THE COMMISSION Inaugural Roland Parrish Classic The inaugural Parrish Football Classic Battle of the State Champions comes to Cotton Bowl Stadium on Saturday, September 12, featuring Duncanville vs. DeSoto and South Oak Cliff vs. North Shore. The full-day event will also include live entertainment, college and career resources, STEM activities, and community programming. 1 Ticket, 2 Games, 6 Experiences, Only $20. Tickets go on sale August 12th VISIT WEBSITE
Chicharito Plays For Atletico Dallas
Atlético Dallas made history on July 28, announcing Javier “Chicharito” Hernández Mexico’s all-time leading scorer and a global football icon as the club’s first-ever signed player. Hernández, who has represented Manchester United, Real Madrid, and LA Galaxy across nearly two decades, signed a two-year deal with a club option for a third season.
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ROLAND PARRISH CLASSIC SEPTEMBER 12 COTTON BOWL STADIUM
USA BMX GOLD CUP FINAL SC SEPTEMBER 25-27 DESOTO BMX
STATE FAIR CLASSIC SEPTEMBER 26 COTTON BOWL STADIUM
CCM DALLAS OCTOBER 10-12 MULTIPLE VENUES
RED RIVER RIVALRY OCTOBER 10 COTTON BOWL STADIUM
MOVE UNITED WHEELCHAIR FOOTBALL OCTOBER 30 - NOVEMBER 3 FAIRFIELD INN & SUITES DALLAS DOWNTOWN
Volunteer Spotlight
To every volunteer who helped welcome the world to North Texas during the FIFA World Cup 2026, Thank YOU! Your time, energy and dedication helped create an unforgettable experience for visitors, fans and our community. We are incredibly grateful for the role you played in this historic moment. If you are interested in volunteering at our next BIG event, click the link below.
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Concacaf W Championship Coming to Mansfield Texas Health Mansfield Stadium will host six days of action during the 2026 Concacaf W Championship, bringing some of the region’s top women’s national teams to DFW from November 27 through December 2. The United States, Canada, Mexico, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Haiti, Panama and El Salvador will compete in Quarterfinal, Semifinal and Play-In matches, with qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games on the line.
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BUILDING A LEGACY THAT LASTS
THE NORTH TEXAS SPORTS FOUNDATION IS MAKING AN IMPACT ON AND OFF THE PITCH By: Alex Gilbert
Dallas Sports Commission • Dallas Sports Commission • Dallas Sports
When the FIFA World Cup 2026™ kicked off in North Texas this summer, the excitement filled stadiums, streets, and screens of all sizes. But for the North Texas Sports Foundation (NTXSF), the real measure of success is found outside of just the final score. The NTXSF is building a legacy to last. Working alongside the North Texas FWC Organizing Committee, Host City Supporters, and a growing community of donors, NTXSF is laying the foundation to convert the global attention on North Texas into safe places to play, memorable experiences for youth, and permanent investments in our community. One of the first needs identified by the NTXSF was how there are too many kids in North Texas who don’t have a safe, accessible place to play. In Dallas County alone, more than 110,000 children live in poverty, and families now spend roughly $1,000 a year just to keep one child in a primary sport. This is a cost that pushes many young athletes to the sidelines before they ever get a chance to compete. Add in a well-documented
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shortage of coaches and safe facilities, and the barriers to youth sports access become even harder to overcome. NTXSF is tackling that challenge head-on. With support from Host City Supporters and generous donors, the Foundation is working to install a series of new mini-pitches in geographically and socioeconomically diverse North Texas neighborhoods. These pitches are safe, accessible spaces where children can play, families can gather, and entire communities can connect through the game. The impact doesn’t stop at the pitches. Volunteer-powered tree plantings and park cleanups have enhanced the public spaces surrounding these new fields, reinforcing NTXSF’s broader commitment to healthier, more vibrant neighborhoods across the region. Together, these efforts are transforming underused and neglected corners of North Texas into places families are proud to call their own.
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Outside of direct community enhancement efforts, the NTXSF’s Ticket Giveback Program allowed 300 tickets for World Cup matches to be distributed across 17 nonprofit partners, giving youth and families in under-resourced areas their first opportunity to step inside a world-class stadium. For many, it was the first time they had the opportunity to see sports at the highest level. The response spoke for itself. “I am so thankful for this,” one young attendee shared. Another said the experience “really means a lot to me,” expressing gratitude for the opportunities and support extended to them.
Through the NTXSF, our community still has time to leave their mark on the World Cup through the Texan Golden Boot Brick Plaza Campaign. Qualifying donations allow supporters to inscribe their name, family name, organization, or a short message on a commemorative brick in the plaza surrounding the sculpture. These bricks will literally leave their mark on this historic World Cup legacy while funding NTXSF’s ongoing work to expand access to sport across North Texas. Every contribution to NTXSF continues to turn this once-in-a-generation moment into lasting opportunity for youth and families across North Texas. And the Foundation is far from finished. This fall, community and business leaders have a front-row opportunity to celebrate this legacy in person at the first annual Legacy of Legends Dinner on October 24. The evening will honor North Texas’s success as a FIFA World Cup 2026™ host city and look ahead to the next chapter of community impact, with proceeds directly supporting NTXSF’s work to expand youth access to sports and invest in stronger, healthier communities. Don’t wait to secure your spot at what promises to be a landmark night for North Texas.
NTXSF’s legacy work also extends into the art and culture space, with a landmark that will outlast the tournament itself, the Texan Golden Boot. Commissioned as a permanent public art installation in the Arlington Entertainment District, the sculpture fuses the iconic Golden Boot with the Texas Spur, crafted from locally sourced reclaimed Texas metals by internationally recognized sculptor Steve Ekpenisi and curated by Street Art for Mankind. It stands as a tribute to the global spirit of football and the pride of Texas heritage.
Make a donation HERE and secure your spot in the Texan Golden Boot Brick Plaza . Learn more about sponsorship for the Legacy of Legends Dinner by contacting Jaime Cabrera at jaime@northtexassportsfoundation.org, or visit northtexassportsfoundation.org. Donate to the North Texas Sports Foundation to support our efforts to make a lasting impact on our community through sports HERE.
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