England Fans in Dallas: How the Croatia Match at AT&T Stadium Ran

Where Are the Best English Pubs in Dallas?

Most American cities that hosted World Cup matches could point you toward a generic sports bar showing Premier League at 7 AM on weekends. Dallas was different. The DFW metro has a substantial British expat community, a long history of English football supporter clubs, and — critically — a pub that's been doing it right for decades. When the travelling England support rolled into town, they weren't starting from scratch.

The Londoner Pub at 14930 Midway Road in Addison won NBC Sports Group's 2016 "Best Premier League Bar in America" contest. It's a genuine football pub: real ale, a full English breakfast, block party events that spill into the car park, and a clientele that can actually name the 1966 squad. Every major English supporters club in Dallas calls The Londoner home — the Dallas Gooner Society (Arsenal), Shed End Dallas (Chelsea), Toon Army Dallas (Newcastle United), and Dallas Lions (England national team supporters). On June 17 the car park was rammed by mid-morning.

England's previous encounter with Croatia on a World Cup stage ended in genuine heartbreak at Russia 2018 — Kieran Trippier's early free kick, Perišić's equaliser just before the hour, and then Mandžukić's extra-time winner that sent Croatia to the final and England home. That history was what gave the Group L meeting in Dallas its weight, and The Londoner's block party started hours before kickoff.

When Did England Play in Dallas?

England had one group stage match at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

That 3:00 PM local kickoff was 9:00 PM back in England — a civilised time for the folks at home watching on ITV. For fans in Dallas it made for a full match day, starting with a proper breakfast and building through the afternoon heat. A Wednesday fixture also kept the city out of full weekend mode, which helped with rideshare availability and pub space, though The Londoner filled up regardless.

FIFA listed AT&T Stadium at 70,649 for World Cup matches. England travel in significant numbers and the US has a large British expat community, so central Dallas and Uptown were the practical bases — Arlington hotels near the stadium carried a significant premium across the tournament window.

For the wider picture of what the city hosted, the Dallas World Cup 2026 hub has the full nine-match schedule and the AT&T Stadium detail. The companion guides cover the rest: getting to AT&T Stadium for the Arlington transit reality, where to stay in Dallas for neighbourhoods and furnished options, restaurants and bars for eating beyond the pubs, and the Dallas survival guide for heat, bag policy and the legal basics.

Where to Watch and Gather — Dallas English Pubs

The Londoner Pub — Addison (The One)

14930 Midway Road, Addison, TX 75001. This was the base of operations. The Londoner is a genuine football pub in the American South — a sentence that shouldn't be possible but somehow is. Proper real ale, a full English breakfast served all morning, and block party events for major fixtures that turn the car park into an extension of the bar. The Dallas Gooner Society, Shed End Dallas, Toon Army Dallas, and Dallas Lions all call this home. It was rammed from early on June 17. It's in Addison, about 15 miles north of downtown Dallas, reachable by car or rideshare only.

Harwood Arms — Uptown Dallas

An official Chelsea FC bar with a scotch library that would make a Glaswegian weep with joy. The Harwood Arms serves shepherd's pie and sausage rolls, carries a rotating selection of whiskies, and draws a knowledgeable football crowd for big fixtures. Closer to downtown than The Londoner and walkable from several Uptown hotels. A more refined drinking experience if the block party at The Londoner isn't your register.

The Crafty Irishman — Downtown Dallas

Walking distance from DART stations in the heart of downtown. Not strictly an English pub but the kind of proper Irish bar English fans have been comfortable in since time immemorial. Good selection of draught beer, live music on evenings, and easy transit access — useful if you're based downtown and heading to the Fan Festival at Fair Park.

Happiest Hour — Harwood District

Located in the Harwood District at 2616 Olive St, near Victory Park and the Victory DART station that connected to the FIFA Bus Bridge on match days. Happiest Hour has an excellent rooftop terrace, a strong beer selection, and the practical advantage of sitting within walking distance of the bus bridge pickup point — which made it the standard pre-match pint before the shuttle to Arlington.

Texas Live! — Arlington (Next to the Stadium)

The entertainment complex directly adjacent to AT&T Stadium. Multiple bars, massive screens, and a carnival atmosphere on match days. It took the crowd in the 90 minutes before the gates opened and again in the hour after the final whistle, while the exit crush and the rideshare queue out of Arlington cleared. A 3 percent facilities fee is added to drinks and food here.

Where to Eat — British Comfort and Texas Revelations

You can find a full English and fish and chips in Dallas. You can also discover that Texas BBQ is an entirely legitimate form of national cuisine. The travelling support worked through both.

Comforts of Home

The Londoner Pub does a proper full English breakfast — eggs, back bacon, sausages, beans, toast, the works — served through the morning. Fish and chips also on the menu. A morning that feels like Wetherspoons but better. Harwood Arms does a solid shepherd's pie and sausage rolls throughout the day.

For curry — because a proper English football weekend requires it — the Richardson international corridor sits about 20 minutes north of downtown. Richardson and Plano have significant South Asian communities and authentic Indian restaurants that scratch that itch.

You're in Texas — Eat Accordingly

Terry Black's BBQ (3025 Main St, Dallas) — brisket, ribs, and sausage that recalibrate what you thought slow-cooked meat could be. The queue forms early but moves efficiently. It was the post-match dinner destination after a Deep Ellum evening.

Pecan Lodge (2702 Main St, Dallas) — another Deep Ellum BBQ institution, slightly more charismatic in setting. The beef rib is the size of a novelty item and tastes like nothing you have encountered.

Mariano's Hacienda Ranch (2614 Majesty Dr, Arlington) — founded by Mariano Martinez, the man who invented the frozen margarita machine in 1971 (the original machine is now in the Smithsonian). You should have one. Or several. They're conveniently close to AT&T Stadium.

Late Night: Armoury D.E. in Deep Ellum stays open until 2 AM and does genuinely good food late into the night — burgers, craft beer, and a crowd that's happy to debrief a match until closing. Fuel City on I-35 is a 24-hour petrol station taqueria that sounds like a joke until you taste the tacos. It isn't a joke.

How Match Day Ran — Wednesday, June 17, 3:00 PM Kickoff

Bed to brisket, via Croatia. This is the shape the day took for supporters who did it on transit.

Non-Match Days — Dallas Beyond the Pub

You have flown this far. See something.

Fort Worth Stockyards

About 35 minutes west of Dallas by car (Uber costs around $40 each way). The Fort Worth Stockyards are the genuine cowboy article — longhorn cattle drives down Exchange Avenue twice daily, the world-famous Billy Bob's Texas honky-tonk, and enough Stetson hats to make you feel you've arrived somewhere entirely foreign. Which you have. Take the photo with the longhorn. You know you want to.

Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

The JFK assassination museum at the former Texas School Book Depository. Historically significant, meticulously presented, and genuinely moving. It sold out repeatedly during the tournament, so advance tickets remain the sensible move. Located in downtown Dallas and easily reachable from DART. It's more powerful than you expect.

Fair Park FIFA Fan Festival

The official FIFA Fan Festival ran at Fair Park in East Dallas, reachable directly by DART Green Line. Stages, food, cultural activations, and giant screens carrying every match. It was fully outdoors, which pushed most of the crowd into the pre-11 AM and post-4 PM windows, and most activations were free to enter.

Six Things Three Lions Fans Learned in Texas

1. The Sun Will Get You — Faster Than You Think

Dallas in June averages 35°C (95°F) with dry heat and fierce UV radiation. Fair skin — and England's travelling support carries a considerable amount of it — burns in 10 to 15 minutes in direct midday sun. SPF 50+ before any outdoor activity, reapplied every two hours, plus a wide-brim hat and decent sunglasses. The Londoner has a car park. Fair Park is fully exposed. The walk from the bus bridge to AT&T Stadium has no shade.

2. Nothing is Walking Distance — This is Not London

Dallas is a car city. The distances between attractions, pubs, and transit stops that look reasonable on Google Maps aren't walkable in 35°C heat. The Londoner is 15 miles from downtown. AT&T Stadium is 20 miles from Dallas. Even within neighbourhoods, blocks are long and pavements aren't always present. DART covers what it covers, the bus bridge covered the stadium, and rideshare filled the gaps. The GoPass App handles transit ticketing.

3. AT&T Stadium is in Arlington — There Is No Tube

The stadium isn't in Dallas. It isn't served by the London Overground. There's no direct rail connection. The bus bridge from Victory Station was the recommended transit option and it did the job, provided you planned it in advance. Full details in the Getting to AT&T Stadium guide, which covers every realistic option including parking and the reality of getting out of Arlington after a full house. The wider Dallas survival guide covers the heat, the bag policy and the legal basics.

4. Tipping is Not Optional — 18 to 20 Percent

American service workers depend on tips. It's embedded in the social contract. Eighteen to 20 percent on sit-down meals, $1 to $2 per drink at the bar. Tipping less isn't acceptable here in the way that ordering tap water and nursing it for four hours is acceptable in some European cultures. The listed menu price doesn't include a service charge. Pay the tip. Texas also adds 8.25 percent sales tax to everything — the price on the menu is never the price you pay.

5. The Beer is Ice Cold — Except at The Londoner

American bars serve beer at temperatures that would horrify a proper English publican. Ice cold lager, served in a frozen glass, on a 95°F day — it's actually fine, it just isn't what you know. The Londoner is one of the very few American venues that serves real ale at cellar temperature, as God intended. Embrace the cold beer everywhere else; enjoy the proper ale at The Londoner. Both have their place in a Dallas World Cup week.

6. Carry Your Passport — Drinking Age is 21

The legal drinking age in Texas is 21 and it's strictly enforced. If you look under 30 — and even if you're considerably over 30 — you may be asked for ID. Carry your passport, not just a driving licence. Foreign driving licences aren't universally accepted at American bars. This goes for anyone in your group who might be a younger sibling, partner, or enthusiastic teenager who snuck on the trip. One person without a passport causes everyone problems at the door.