FIFA monitoring stadium upgrades in Dallas-Fort Worth for 2026 World Cup

The latest: FC Dallas president Dan Hunt shared everything organizers must finish to be ready.

• "The shot clock is on … it's going to go really fast now," he said during a transportation summit Thursday in Hurst. Hunt is a co-chair of the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee.

The big picture: North Texas will host nine matches, the most of any city.

• The region will have to arrange for security, transportation and lodging for athletes and spectators traveling to the region.
• 700,000 tickets will be sold for the nine matches at AT&T Stadium, Hunt said.

What they're doing: Organizers will have to ensure the stadium meets FIFA's requirements for World Cup venues, including having real grass.

• They plan to remove the stadium's artificial grass, raise the field and create a new platform on it with sod, sand and soil.
• The task will require using grow lights and preparing backup fields in case more grass is needed, Hunt said.
• FC Dallas is renovating Toyota Stadium in Frisco for use as a base camp during the 2026 World Cup.

The intrigue: The North Texas FIFA committee has also been helping the World Cup's European organizers understand Texans and their love of tailgating.

Between the lines: Organizers in North Texas haven't said much about how they will get athletes, journalists, fans and workers to and from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, a suburban city without mass transit.

• The tournament's international broadcast center is in downtown Dallas and the fan festival will be at Fair Park. Teams could be stationed as far away as Denton.

What they're saying: "My message to FIFA has been very simple: We're going to show you that you made a mistake not picking North Texas for the final," Hunt said.

• "And, hopefully the 2031 Women's World Cup final will happen here in Arlington"