Dallas hosted more 2026 World Cup matches than any other city in the tournament: nine games at AT&T Stadium, including a semifinal on July 14. Argentina played here twice. England, the Netherlands, and Japan all had group-stage dates in Arlington. And here is the part most travel guides buried three paragraphs deep: AT&T Stadium sits in Arlington, Texas, a city with zero public transit. No train. No bus route. No rail line under construction. In Dallas, the housing decision was the transportation plan, and where you slept decided whether match day cost you a $9 transit pass or a surge-priced ride.
- The playoff slots settled before kickoff: Japan's June 25 evening match was against Sweden.
- A $9 Regional One-Day Pass (GoPass app, "World Cup" agency) covered the TRE train to CentrePort, the free Stadium Shuttle (match ticket required), and DART for the whole day. Shuttles ran from about 4 hours before kickoff to roughly 3 hours after the final whistle.
- The Fan Festival at Fair Park's Dos Equis Pavilion ran June 11 to July 19. Entry was free but required an advance digital ticket.
- Arlington closed AT&T Way and Cowboys Way around the stadium on match days, and city lots near the stadium were pre-purchase only, no cash accepted.
9 Matches, 5 Weeks, and the Biggest Names in the Draw
Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium’s FIFA tournament name) hosted five group-stage matches and four knockout rounds between June 14 and July 14, 2026. The draw landed some of the tournament’s most anticipated fixtures here. Argentina appeared twice, and the July 14 semifinal was the marquee date on the venue’s calendar.
| Date | Match | Round | Kickoff (CT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, June 14 | Netherlands vs Japan | Group F | 3:00 PM |
| Wed, June 17 | England vs Croatia | Group L | 3:00 PM |
| Mon, June 22 | Argentina vs Austria | Group J | 12:00 PM |
| Thu, June 25 | Japan vs Sweden | Group F | 6:00 PM |
| Sat, June 27 | Jordan vs Argentina | Group J | 9:00 PM |
| Mon, June 30 | Round of 32 | Knockout | 12:00 PM |
| Fri, July 3 | Round of 32 | Knockout | 1:00 PM |
| Mon, July 6 | Round of 16 | Knockout | 2:00 PM |
| Tue, July 14 | Semifinal | Knockout | 2:00 PM |
No USA, Canada, or Mexico matches were scheduled here. For the venue’s full match list, see the Dallas World Cup 2026 hub or the official Dallas FWC26 match schedule.
The Arlington Problem: No Train, No Bus, One Giant Parking Lot
AT&T Stadium is 20 miles west of downtown Dallas in Arlington, often cited as the largest U.S. city without mass transit (population roughly 395,000). Arlington voters have rejected transit funding multiple times over the past two decades. The city’s only public option is Via Arlington, an on-demand van service. Useful for grocery runs, not for moving 80,000 soccer fans.
Three ways fans actually reached the stadium on match days:
Drive and park. AT&T Stadium has roughly 24,000 parking spaces across numbered and lettered lots. Match-day parking was priced at $40 to $75 and sold ahead through ParkWhiz and SeatGeek, and the spaces left for late buyers sat a 20-to-30-minute walk from the gates.
DART bus bridge. This was the transit play. DART deployed 50 buses on a dedicated I-30 express lane from Victory Station (next to American Airlines Center in Dallas) directly to Lot H at the stadium. The ride took about 45 minutes without traffic, longer on match days. Separately, DART’s TRE commuter trains run from Victory Station to CentrePort, and NCTCOG-funded shuttles covered the last few miles during the tournament. Total time from central Dallas: about 90 minutes including boarding.
Rideshare. Uber and Lyft covered the 20 miles from Dallas and were subject to surge pricing on match days. Drop-off was at Lot 15 off Randol Mill Road, and post-match pickup used the same lot.
For the full transit breakdown with route maps, see the Getting to AT&T Stadium guide.
5 Neighborhoods for 5 Types of Fans
For most first-time visitors, Downtown Dallas was the right call: the best transit access in the metroplex, and the bus bridge left from its northwest edge. Other priorities shifted that pick. The table shows the tradeoffs at a glance.
| Neighborhood | To Stadium | Walk Score | WC Hotel Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Dallas | 90 min (bus bridge) | 92 | $250–$500 | Transit hub, first-timers |
| Uptown | 90 min (bus bridge) | 93 | $250–$500+ | Restaurants, nightlife |
| Deep Ellum | 90 min (bus bridge) | 76 | $150–$300 | Culture, budget, Fan Fest access |
| Arlington | Walk (10–15 min) | Car-dependent | $150–$300 | Stadium proximity, multi-match trips |
| Fort Worth | 90 min (TRE + shuttle) | 38 (Downtown FW) | $120–$250 | Budget, Texas character |
Downtown Dallas: The DART Hub
Downtown Dallas is the transit center of the metroplex, with Union Station connecting all DART light rail lines plus the TRE commuter rail to Fort Worth. Victory Station, which served as the departure point for DART’s World Cup bus bridge, sits at Downtown’s northwest edge next to American Airlines Center. Walk Score is 92 with a Transit Score of 85, the highest in the metro.
Hotels ran $250 to $500 per night during match weeks. The Omni Dallas, The Joule (Main Street), and The Adolphus are the anchor properties. The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center was designated as the tournament’s International Broadcast Center. For furnished apartments in Downtown Dallas, month-to-month leases run below hotel surge rates.
Not for you if: You want to walk to the stadium. Downtown is 20 miles from AT&T Stadium. Every match day required the bus bridge, TRE, or rideshare.
Uptown: Best Restaurants, Best Walk Score
Walk Score 93. That is the highest on this list, and you feel it walking down McKinney Avenue: restaurants on both sides, the Katy Trail cutting through for morning runs, and the free McKinney Avenue Trolley linking Uptown to Downtown and Victory Station. DART’s Cityplace/Uptown station puts you on the Red and Orange Lines. Match-day logistics mirrored Downtown (bus bridge from Victory Station), but between matches, Uptown is the better place to eat, drink, and walk.
Hotels ran $250 to $500+ during the World Cup. The W Dallas-Victory and Hotel ZaZa Dallas are the top picks. Uptown connects to Downtown via the Klyde Warren Park pedestrian bridge, so you can walk between the two neighborhoods in 15 minutes.
Not for you if: You’re on a tight budget. Uptown was the most expensive neighborhood on this list.
Deep Ellum: Nightlife and the Closest DART Stop to Fair Park
Deep Ellum is Dallas’s live music and street art district: bars, record shops, and late-night taco joints along Elm Street and Main Street. The DART Green Line runs through Deep Ellum station, and Fair Park, which hosted the FIFA Fan Festival, is just two stops east. That made Deep Ellum the strongest pick for fans splitting time between the Fan Festival and the nightlife scene.
Hotels and Airbnbs ran $150 to $300 per night, the most affordable inner-Dallas option. Short-term rental apartments in Deep Ellum and neighboring Oak Cliff tend to undercut hotel prices for groups. For furnished apartments in Deep Ellum, check availability early — this neighborhood books fast during events.
Not for you if: You need quiet. Deep Ellum is loud on normal weekends.
Arlington: Walk to the Stadium, Skip Everything Else
For a trip built purely around matches, Arlington eliminated the transit question entirely. Hotels near AT&T Stadium and the Texas Live! entertainment district sit within a 10-to-15-minute walk of the gates. No bus bridge, no rideshare surge, no 90-minute commute. Just walk.
Hotels near the stadium ran $150 to $300 per night during the World Cup, with the new Loews Arlington Hotel and Live! by Loews being the closest options. Texas Live! has restaurants and sports bars, and Globe Life Field (Texas Rangers) is next door. But that is essentially the entire neighborhood. Arlington outside the entertainment district is strip malls, highways, and residential subdivisions.
Not for you if: You want to experience Dallas. Arlington is not Dallas. It has no nightlife district, no walkable culture, and no DART access. Between matches, you’ll need a car or rideshare to do anything else.
Fort Worth: The Dark Horse with a Train
Fort Worth rarely appeared in Dallas World Cup guides, but the math worked. The TRE commuter train runs from T&P Station in Downtown Fort Worth to CentrePort station, where NCTCOG shuttles connected to the stadium during the tournament. Hotels in the Stockyards and Downtown Fort Worth ran $120 to $250 per night, the cheapest option on this list. Fort Worth also has its own identity: the Stockyards, the Kimbell Art Museum, Sundance Square, and a bar scene that operates at about half the price of Uptown.
Not for you if: You want quick stadium access. The TRE plus shuttle route took about 90 minutes, and trains run on a commuter schedule (roughly every 30 to 60 minutes during peak hours). Miss a train and you are waiting.
For a deeper look at Dallas neighborhoods by transit access, see the DART-commutable neighborhoods guide or the full Dallas neighborhood index.
Fair Park Fan Festival: The Part That Worked Without a Car
The official FIFA Fan Festival ran from June 11 through July 19 at Fair Park, a 277-acre site just east of Downtown Dallas. Produced by C3 Presents (the team behind Austin City Limits and Lollapalooza), the festival had space for 35,000 fans at a time and screened every one of the tournament’s 104 matches on giant displays. Admission was free, with premium tickets available separately.
Here is the good news: unlike the stadium, the Fan Festival has direct DART rail service. Fair Park station sits on the Green Line, and during the World Cup DART ran three-car trains every 10 minutes between Victory Station and Fair Park. From Deep Ellum, it is two stops. From Downtown, about 15 minutes. The Fan Festival was the car-free half of the Dallas World Cup, the half that worked the way Houston’s Red Line corridor works for NRG Stadium. The Dallas World Cup survival guide covers the heat problem in more detail (June average highs hit 96°F).
What a Week in Dallas Actually Cost
Hotel prices during the World Cup ran about 174% above normal rates, according to WFAA reporting. A room that normally runs $180 per night listed at $400 to $500 during match weeks. Airbnb listings averaged about $300 per night across Dallas, climbing steeply for properties near the stadium or in walkable neighborhoods.
| Expense | Budget | Mid-Range | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accommodation (per night) | $150–$200 | $300–$450 | $500+ |
| Transit to stadium (per match) | $10–$15 (bus bridge) | $40–$75 (drive + park) | Rideshare (surge-priced) |
| Food & drink | $40–$60 | $80–$120 | $150+ |
| Match ticket (Cat 3–Cat 1) | $50–$80 | $150–$250 | $400+ |
| Daily total (match day) | $250–$355 | $570–$895 | $1,050+ before transit |
For a stay of a week or more, a short-term furnished apartment cuts accommodation costs by 30 to 50% compared to hotel surge rates. A kitchen alone saves $30 to $50 per day on meals. Furnished units in Downtown, Uptown, and Deep Ellum start at roughly $150 to $200 per night on month-to-month leases, well below the $300+ hotel average this city saw during match weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Could you take DART to AT&T Stadium for the World Cup?
No. DART rail stops in Dallas, about 20 miles from the stadium. The two transit options were the DART bus bridge (buses on a dedicated I-30 lane, $10 to $15 estimated) and the TRE commuter train to CentrePort plus a shuttle for the last few miles. Both left from Victory Station in Dallas, and both took about 90 minutes from central Dallas to the stadium gates.
How much did parking cost at AT&T Stadium during the World Cup?
$40 to $75 per match. AT&T Stadium has roughly 24,000 parking spaces across its numbered lots and the adjacent Globe Life Field complex, sold ahead through ParkWhiz and SeatGeek. The lots left for late arrivals added 20 to 30 minutes of walking to the gates.
Was it better to stay in Dallas or Arlington for the World Cup?
Dallas for most fans. You got walkable neighborhoods, real restaurants and bars, and DART rail to the Fan Festival at Fair Park. The 90-minute match-day transit was a hassle, but only on the days you held tickets. Arlington made sense for fans attending three or more matches whose only priority was walking to the gates. Between matches in Arlington, a car or rideshare was needed for almost everything.
How far is downtown Dallas from AT&T Stadium?
About 20 miles, or 25 to 40 minutes by car in normal traffic. On match days that drive stretched to 60 to 90 minutes. DART’s bus bridge and TRE train options took about 90 minutes including boarding and transfers, which is why the standing advice was to leave central Dallas 90 to 120 minutes before kickoff.
Were Uber and Lyft reliable on World Cup match days in Dallas?
Between matches, rideshare works well in the Dallas metro. Near AT&T Stadium on match days it was subject to surge pricing in the 90 minutes before kickoff and again after the final whistle, and post-match pickup all funnelled through Lot 15. The DART bus bridge at $10 to $15 was the cheaper and more predictable option.
What was the FIFA Fan Festival in Dallas, and where was it?
A free, 39-day event at Fair Park in East Dallas, running from June 11 through July 19. Giant screens broadcast all 104 World Cup matches, alongside live music, international food vendors, and interactive soccer activities. Capacity was 35,000 at a time. DART’s Green Line serves Fair Park station directly, and trains ran every 10 minutes during the tournament.
The advice that held through the tournament: Downtown Dallas for one or two matches and the easiest transit access, Arlington for three or more and a walk to the gates, Deep Ellum when nightlife mattered more than the commute. Everything past that was a lifestyle choice. The Dallas World Cup where-to-stay guide carries the full neighborhood breakdown, and the Dallas World Cup restaurant and bar guide covers where fans ate between matches.