Did Dallas Land The World Cup’s Best Draw?

Dallas may have landed more than a World Cup schedule. It may have landed one of the best host-city draws in the entire tournament.

On the latest Dallas Express Sports Network episode, longtime Dallas Mavericks and FC Dallas broadcaster Mark Followill joins ESPN soccer analyst Sebastian Salazar to break down why North Texas fans should be paying close attention to what is coming to Dallas Stadium.

Followill said “we hit a home run here with Argentina coming here twice,” pointing to the defending World Cup champions and Lionel Messi coming to North Texas in what is expected to be Messi’s final World Cup.

The conversation also digs into why England, Croatia, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, and other teams make Dallas’ slate deeper than casual fans may realize, which matchup could become a neutral fan favorite, and how Dallas stacks up against other host cities.

As previously reported by The Dallas Express, DXSN’s first World Cup special previewed the fan culture, international energy, food, and local flavor coming to North Texas when the tournament arrives.

This episode goes deeper on the draw itself — and why Dallas may have a real case for one of the strongest match slates in the country.

And because this is Dallas, the panel also takes a detour through Dirk Nowitzki’s soccer past.

Watch the full episode below.