FRISCO - It was a historic day for U.S. and North American soccer, but the work is just beginning for Dallas’ bid to be a host city for the tournament.
One of the 23 potential host cities submitted in the United 2026 bid, Dallas hopes to prove its viability to the committee as not only a perfect site for games, but also national team training sites and much more.
“Dallas has first class venues,” FCD President and Dallas Host Committee Chairman Dan Hunt said at a press conference Wednesday. “Let’s start with AT&T Stadium, where games would be played. It’s hosted a number of tournaments [and is] a great venue that should host a Final or Semi-final. That’s the goal is to chase that.
“You’ve also got Toyota Stadium and Soccer Center, which would be a perfect team headquarters. You also have the Cotton Bowl, which would be a great headquarters as well and you even have facilities like MoneyGram Soccer Park, which are great for training.”
Before official host venues are confirmed in late 2020 or early 2021, Hunt says the biggest thing Dallas can do to continue to build its portfolio is by hosting more big events in the coming years.
It’s not just the on-field action that Dallas is after, though. Also up for consideration is the site for the International Broadcast Center, the central location for journalists and broadcast crews covering the tournament.
Any amount of involvement for Dallas during the 2026 World Cup would see an immediate impact locally.
“Conservatively, they expect that if North Texas is selected to host the World Cup in 2026, a $400 million economic boom for this community and what could be over 3,000 jobs associated with that,” Hunt said. “If we were fortunate enough to get the International Broadcast Center, that’s another $100 million of economic impact.”
The dollars and cents are one benefit, but the opportunity to grow the game in the U.S. and inspire future generations of players is priceless.
“I woke up to the notification this morning, and I was extremely excited,” FC Dallas Homegrown and U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder Kellyn Acosta said this morning. “I think for the country to get that exposure here that the World Cup brings, more exposure for the younger generations to have something to live up to. Everyone wants to be a basketball player, football player, but by having that World Cup, they can believe, watch it and in a few more years they can play there.”
“I think it will inspire and change and grow the game even further and push the limits,” Hunt said. “It’s about growing the game and totality, boys and girls, showing them there is an opportunity. And they may not all end-up being on a World Cup stage, but if they have something they can participate in, it leads to healthy, active lifestyles, inspires, even provides college opportunities. These are all the small things that come from watching a World Cup.”