Lionel Messi, a Dutch Orange Bus and the Turnpike Troubadours will have something in common after this summer: a taste of soccer fever in Dallas.

Why it matters: For five glorious weeks, fans around the world will stop to watch the same thing.

• Add Messi's likely last dance and soccer's most watched event playing out in North Texas, and even the most casual fan has reason to tune in.

Catch up quick: This is the first time that three countries are cohosting a Men's World Cup (the U.S. also hosted the 1994 tournament). The 2026 tournament kicks off today in Mexico City.

• North Texas is hosting nine matches, including a semifinal match on July 14.
• The region also has the tournament's sole International Broadcast Center and base camps for teams from Sweden and the Czech Republic.

State of play: The English-language broadcast will be on Fox, FS1 and the Fox One app.

• Telemundo will air Spanish-language broadcasts in the U.S., and will air games on Universo, Peacock and the Telemundo app.

Players to watch: Four FC Dallas Academy products are on the U.S. team, which plays its first match tomorrow against Paraguay.

• Active FC Dallas players are on other national teams. Petar Musa is on Croatia's national team, Herman Johansson is on Sweden's roster and Louicius Deedson will represent Haiti in its first World Cup in 52 years.

If you're going: Dallas Stadium will open three hours before kickoff for each game. The restrictions include a clear bag policy.

• FIFA is asking North Texans to drive to the stadium. J. Gilligan's and Grease Monkey are offering shuttles, charging per person.
• If you don't care for traffic and parking fees, you can take DART or the TRE and then take a bus to the stadium. Match tickets will be required to board the bus.

If you're not going: Start times for the Dallas Stadium matches range from noon to 9pm. Check the schedule and anticipated peak travel periods before planning your route to work and other places on match days.

• North Texas' World Cup committee suggests working from home, if you're able to, on days when the region is hosting a match.

How other host cities are preparing

There are plenty of ways to enjoy the World Cup while steering clear of Arlington traffic.

Here are some watch parties in North Texas...

🎡 The FIFA Fan Festival in the Fair Park area will be the biggest party of them all. Open for 34 matches, the festival will have giveaways, concerts and exhibits. You'll need a free ticket to enter.

🛝 Halperin Park in Dallas is hosting six free watch parties from June 11-25 featuring the U.S. and Mexico teams. Matches will be shown on a 300-square-foot LED wall and other screens throughout the park.

🎟️ Trinity Groves is planning a ticketed fan zone for several World Cup matches, including Dallas' nine matches. Read the bag policy and parking tips before going.

⚽️ Legacy Hall, where Adidas recently opened an Originals store, has a soccer-themed art installation and will screen matches on its giant screens, offering giveaways, cocktails and live DJs.

🍻 Several Fort Worth businesses are hosting parties all summer. The Crescent Hotel is setting up a fan zone at its bar.

🍿 The Star in Frisco is hosting several watch parties and family-friendly activities, including a screening of the soccer comedy "Kicking & Screaming."

🥅 Frisco's Simpson Plaza is hosting a 34-day soccer celebration near Toyota Stadium, though tickets to the free watch parties are already sold out.

📬 How are you planning to watch — or avoid — the World Cup? Hit reply to this email and let us know!

Let's say you've got a rooting interest in the World Cup but tune into soccer only every four years.

• Here's a refresher on the rules of the tournament and what you need to know about this year's World Cup.

The group stage: There are 12 groups of four teams, decided by the World Cup draw in December. Each team plays the other three teams in their group.

• A win gets you 3 points, a tie 1 point and a loss no points.
• The top two teams from each group advance to the first single-elimination knockout round. Additionally, the top eight teams from among the third-place teams in each group advance.

The knockout rounds: This year's expanded format means there will be a round of 32 for the first time. The winners of those games will advance to the round of 16. That round is followed by the quarterfinals, the semifinals and then the final.

• The losers of the semifinal round play each other in the third-place game.

More rules worth knowing

📓 Dallas ISD's high schoolers improved this year on state standardized tests but, similar to students statewide, lagged pre-pandemic levels in some areas. (DMN)

🛑 The Texas Department of Public Safety doesn't plan to renew its agreement to offer patrols on NTTA roadways. (Fox4)

🏆 A club volleyball team from the Carrollton area won a national championship in Ohio last weekend. (NBC5)

AT&T Stadium — uff, Dallas Stadium — was eerily quiet yesterday, as workers made final preparations ahead of the venue's first World Cup match on Sunday.

• Team colors for Japan and The Netherlands wrapped around the stadium's electronic signs. Emcees practiced their lines on the jumbotron. Workers installed glass along the players' tunnel.

The intrigue: "Messi will be in this locker room in a few weeks time," a FIFA spokesperson said during a media tour yesterday.

The bottom line: Whether we like it or not, soccer superfans are going to be dining at our restaurants, staying in our hotels and riding on our roads this month.

• Let's hope they leave here with a good impression of us.