The biggest sports tournament in the world is coming to the United States. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to be bigger than the Super Bowl, watched by billions of people from around the world. This time, it’s coming right to our doorstep.
Nine matches are set to be played at Dallas Stadium, better known to Americans as AT&T Stadium, just 20 minutes down the road from Downtown Fort Worth. Dallas Stadium is set to host the most matches of any stadium in the whole tournament, including some major knockout games.
Whether you’re a diehard soccer fan or you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, here’s a preview of all the games coming to town, and which fanbases you can expect to see arriving in droves in North Texas.
The Group Stages
Teams in the World Cup are placed into groups, where 4 teams each play each other once, and then the two teams with the best results move on to the knockout stages. The group stages can show teams getting to grips with the tournament, some underdogs take down world powers, and some of the most exciting stories of the tournament.
On June 14th, Dallas Stadium hosted its first game, the Netherlands vs Japan. The next two games occured over the following week, firstly England vs Croatia, and then Argentina vs Austria. England and Argentina, respectively, are among the favorites for the World Cup and have some of the biggest soccer stars on the planet, most notably Lionel Messi.
England and Argentina are both among bookmakers’ favorites for the World Cup, and if you’re interested in betting on the World Cup as it comes to the United States, fans can use a Caesars promo code from GOAL to get started with soccer betting.
The final two games Dallas Stadium will host in the group stage are Jordan vs Argentina, playing host to Messi for a second time, and Japan vs Sweden.
The Knockout Stages
After the group stages are over, the tournament of 48 will become one of 32 teams, who are then put into a knockout bracket, similar to a March Madness tournament. It’s win, or go home and wait 4 years for another chance.
Dallas Stadium will first host two round of 32 games, on June 30th and July 3rd respectively. On JUly 6th, they will host one round of 16 game, with two round of 32 winners going head-to-head.
Then on July 14th, North Texas will host one of the two World Cup semi-finals, which is likely to be one of the most exciting and high-stakes sports events you can imagine. Expect big stars, huge levels of support, and drama around every corner.
