With the 2026 FIFA World Cup dates confirmed, knowing which venue will host the world's biggest football showcase becomes important. AT&T Stadium, currently one of the biggest stadiums in the U.S.A., will play a significant role in the tournament.
This post explores AT&T Stadium, its features, and the 2026 World Cup matches that will be staged at the massive venue.
Who plays at AT&T Stadium?
Built in 2009, AT&T Stadium is home to the American Football team, the Dallas Cowboys. Known as “America’s Team”, the Dallas Cowboys are essentially the US version of Manchester United, the side everyone loves to hate.
Like Manchester United, the Cowboys are always tipped for greatness, but success has been few and far between in recent years. In fact, the Texas team last won the Super Bowl in 1996 – 13 years before they moved to their new home.
Which 2026 World Cup games will be staged at AT&T Stadium?
According to FIFA's official World Cup schedule, AT&T Stadium will host nine matches. This will be the most of any venue during the tournament.
There will be five group stage matches at the venue between 14 June and 27 June. It will also stage two rounds of 32 matches between 30 June and 3 July, and a round of 16 clash on 6 July.
On July 14, AT&T Stadium will make history by hosting the 2026 World Cup semi-final, which will be Match 101 of the event.
What is AT&T Stadium like?
AT&T Stadium is one of the biggest stadiums in the world, accommodating around 80,000 people for most games. The capacity can be increased to 100,000 with the addition of six elevated platforms, three behind each end zone (or goal, depending on the sport).
This means that the record attendance is 105,121, for the Cowboys’ very first NFL game at the stadium.
It is known as the Death Star or Jerry World, named after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who originally envisioned the stadium as a vast entertainment venue.
With its size, of course, comes a huge financial outlay – AT&T Stadium cost a whopping $1.15 billion to build, making it one of the most expensive stadiums ever constructed.
It features a retractable roof and two of the largest HD screens in the world, which were record-breaking at the time of their construction. The stadium has even hosted a movie premiere on these screens – the world premiere of Michael Bay’s 2016 film 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi was displayed at AT&T Stadium with 30,000 people in attendance.
Crucially for the World Cup, the turf features 26 interchangeable panels, allowing it to be converted into a soccer field.
Unusually for most stadiums, AT&T Stadium is built east to west instead of north to south, which means that some players have complained about glare from the sun interfering with their eyesight.
What soccer games have been held at AT&T Stadium?
Although it is not AT&T Stadium’s primary purpose, the stadium has hosted several soccer games of a decent level.
In fact, the first-ever sporting event held there was a soccer match on 19 July 2009, Costa Rica beat Guadeloupe 5-1 in a CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-final.
Celso Borges, the most-capped player in Costa Rica’s history, holds the honour of scoring the very first goal (or point of any kind) at AT&T Stadium, opening the scoring in just the second minute of that game.
Chelsea also played there in 2009, in a pre-season friendly against Club America of Mexico. In front of 57,229 fans, the match was played in a huge thunderstorm.
In 2012, goals from Javier Hernández and Giovani Dos Santos led Mexico to a 2-0 win over Brazil. A year later, the United States men’s national team played their first-ever game there, beating Honduras 3-1 in the semi-final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Most recently, Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-0 in a pre-season friendly in front of 82,026 fans.
AT&T Stadium is due to host three games – two in the group stage and one quarter-final – at the Copa América this summer.
Stay tuned to the Football Ground Guide to find out whether the stadium will host the 2026 World Cup final, the United States’ most important soccer game in more than 30 years.
AT&T to be renamed “Dallas Stadium” for 2026 World Cup
AT&T Stadium will take on a temporary new identity during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, following FIFA’s rule prohibiting non-sponsor corporate names at tournament venues.
As a result, the home of the Dallas Cowboys will be known as “Dallas Stadium” throughout the event, with all AT&T branding inside and outside the ground set to be covered.
The change has sparked strong reactions among local supporters, many of whom argue the temporary name is misleading, noting that the stadium is not located in Dallas at all but in Arlington, Texas.
Fans have pointed out that Arlington taxpayers funded a significant portion of the project and feel the World Cup presented a rare opportunity for the city to gain global visibility.
Despite the backlash, the name adjustment will remain in place for the duration of the tournament, which runs from 11 June to 19 July 2026.