Dallas-Fort Worth is among the U.S. cities seeing the largest increase in inbound flight searches around the time of the World Cup, per a Kayak analysis.

Why it matters: Dallas appears to be a rarity among World Cup host cities. Hotel revenue projections and flight bookings this summer are higher than last year, bucking a trend seen in other cities.

The big picture: Travel restrictions, expensive hotel rates and pricey airfares may keep the expected influx of international visitors away.

• Nearly 70% of hotel owners in U.S. cities hosting the World Cup said geopolitical concerns and visa barriers are "suppressing international demand," according to an American Hotel & Lodging Association survey.
• Hotel bookings are below initial forecasts, the survey found.

State of play: Hotel revenue projections are up 37% for June and 51% for July compared to last year, according to VisitDallas.

• International flight bookings into D-FW are up about 78% over last year, and all June arrival bookings are up almost 25%, per the tourist organization.

Reality check: Even if bookings outperform last year, about 70% of Dallas and Houston hotel owners surveyed said bookings are below expectations for the tournament.

Zoom in: Dallas, Houston and Kansas City are seeing the highest increase in airfare searches compared to last year, per Kayak.

• Travel searches to Dallas on the booking site are up 52% this year compared to 2025.
• Other U.S. tourist hotspots, including Boston (32%) and Seattle (11%), are seeing smaller increases.

What's next: AT&T Stadium hosts its first match June 14.

AT&T Stadium is in its Dallas Stadium era. Crews have installed a FIFA-compliant soccer pitch with natural grass in place of the stadium's football-friendly turf.

Why it matters: AT&T Stadium isn't hosting any events this month to prepare for its nine World Cup matches under FIFA's strict guidelines, which include limits on who steps on the pitch and how the grass should be fertilized.

Vibe check: The stadium looks like a bright, humid greenhouse. Grow lights spread out over the grass, which was grown near Denver and brought to Arlington in 24 refrigerated trucks.

How it works: The original field level was raised by around two feet to achieve the required width of a FIFA pitch.

• Large grow lights from Rotterdam, Netherlands, and an underground irrigation system will help keep the grass healthy until tournament time.
• The stadium's roof will remain closed on match days and the building temperature will be kept around 72 degrees.
• AT&T Stadium is trying a new approach for its World Cup matches, with plans to lift the grow lights toward stadium's ceiling for match days and drop them back down between matches.

Fun fact: The pitch prep has required roughly 45,000 personnel hours and 15,000 tons of materials hauled in, says Tod Martin, the stadium's general manager.

• "We've never put in an effort like this before...It's been a task, I will say," Martin told reporters yesterday.

What's next: AT&T Stadium has a locally based contractor who will use the grass as backfill in other projects after the tournament.

Go deeper: Our Axios Houston colleague Shafaq Patel explains how pitches are being installed and maintained.

You may need the whole week to prepare for Memorial Day weekend traffic.

Why it matters: AAA predicts this will be the busiest Memorial Day ever for travel — meaning your departure time could make or break your trip.

Zoom in: Stay off the road Thursday and Friday afternoons if you want to avoid the worst Memorial Day weekend traffic, according to INRIX forecasts.

• Sunday is a good driving day, per INRIX, a transportation data analytics company that works with AAA to calculate travel times.

By the numbers: AAA anticipates that more than 45 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more over Memorial Day weekend. That's 200,000 more than last year.

• 3.7 million Texans will travel for the holiday, with most driving.

What we're watching: Aggressive Monday-morning drivers.

• AAA and Cambridge Mobile Telematics clocked a 29% spike in Memorial Day speeding compared to other Mondays, with speeding peaking 7am–9am.

⚖️ Human remains have been found at the Everman home where a 6-year-old boy went missing in 2022. The boy's mother has previously been found incompetent to face trial. (WFAA)

📺 U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) has outspent Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton four to one in advertising leading up to their runoff election for U.S. Senate. (Texas Tribune)

🗳️ Dallas County is repairing or replacing hundreds of voting machines before the primary runoff election. (KERA)

🐳 The eight-story whale mural on Akard Street is being painted over for a World Cup display, upsetting many Dallas residents and the marine life artist who painted the original mural in 1999. (Dallas Observer)

🎬 "Dutton Ranch," which was filmed in North Texas, premieres tonight on Paramount+. (Star-Telegram)

You won't want to skip dinner at Far Out, but the dessert and boozy and zero-proof cocktail options make you want to go light on the meal.

What to expect: A Southwestern vibe, sunlight and a concise and delicious menu.

What to order: Garden Party — zero-proof gin, elderflower liqueur, strawberry, lemon and rose water.

• It pairs well with the Texas Olive Oil Cake topped with caramelized apple.

Where: Far Out, 1906 S. Haskell Ave.

Cost: $15 for the mocktail; $18 for the cake.

Six-word review: Complex, floral, cocktail doesn't need booze.

📭 Know a drink we should try? Hit reply and tell us.