The Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau is celebrating record-breaking tourism success following the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
According to a report released Tuesday, Arlington hotels generated a record $31 million in room revenue during the tournament. The city hosted nine matches, including a semifinal, and more than 631,000 people attended those matches. Average attendance topped about 70,000 fans per match.
In Fort Worth, business and tourism leaders gathered Tuesday to review the tournament’s economic impact, highlighting record-breaking visitor numbers and the opportunity to showcase North Texas on the world stage.
For 39 days, Fort Worth welcomed soccer fans from around the globe, with the Stockyards serving as one of the area’s most popular destinations.
“It was something magical here, welcoming the world and seeing the passion and the excitement,” Monica Paul, president of the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee, said.
The Stockyards attracted nearly two million visitors during the World Cup — about a 45% increase compared with the same period last year.
Local leaders also pointed to the international connections made during the tournament.
“When we talked to Czechia, we were telling them, ‘Come to the rodeo, we’ll host you,'” Drew Hays, executive director of the Fort Worth Sports Commission, said.
The Czech national team’s visit coincided with record-breaking rodeo attendance. Organizers said 55,000 tickets were sold over the 39-day period, marking the highest total in the Coliseum’s 118-year history.
The influx of international travelers also created unprecedented demand at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, which welcomed hundreds of visiting dignitaries during the tournament.
“On an annual basis, that’s usually what we would do, about 316 over the course of 365 days, so to compress that to a period of about 30 or so days, very much significant for us,” Jerome Woodard, chief operating officer of DFW International Airport, said.
With the tournament complete, regional leaders are already looking toward future opportunities, including the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup and other major sporting events.
“There’s a lot of different opportunities, WNBA, All-Star game,” Paul said.
Officials said they hope North Texas’ successful hosting of the World Cup leaves more than impressive statistics, creating lasting memories for both visitors and the communities that welcomed them.
“Look how the North Texas region just delivered this World Cup. And that, for me, I couldn’t be more proud,” Paul said.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication.
