Dallas Stadium’s first World Cup match delivered late drama Sunday as Japan battled back twice to earn a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands in a Group F opener in Arlington.
The match marked North Texas’ first game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and brought an international tournament atmosphere to AT&T Stadium, temporarily renamed Dallas Stadium for FIFA play.
After a scoreless first half, the game opened up quickly. Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk scored in the 51st minute, and Japan answered minutes later through Keito Nakamura.
The Netherlands reclaimed the lead in the 64th minute when Crysencio Summerville found the net, but Japan kept pushing and pulled even late on Daichi Kamada’s 88th-minute equalizer.
Dallas Gets Its First World Cup Moment
The local organizing committee had billed Netherlands vs. Japan as a high-energy Group F matchup between two elite soccer cultures. The match lived up to that billing, giving North Texas a dramatic opener and a first look at how World Cup soccer would feel inside one of the region’s biggest venues.
Around 69,000 fans attended the match, Axios reported.
The game also gave Arlington its first taste of the fan movement, traffic, security, heat, and logistics that will define the rest of Dallas Stadium’s World Cup schedule.
Group F Opens Wide
The result gives both the Netherlands and Japan one point to start Group F.
Japan is scheduled to return to Dallas Stadium on June 25 for a Group F match against Sweden.
The Dallas opener came after North Texas landed one of the tournament’s strongest local schedules, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
For Dallas Stadium, the first World Cup match delivered what local organizers wanted: a global crowd, a competitive match, and a dramatic finish on the tournament’s first weekend.
