While the North Texas area is excited to be one of the host sites for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, an apparent temporary name change for Arlington’s AT&T Stadium has caused an uproar amongst fans.
Due to a FIFA policy that does not allow corporate venue sponsors, the stadium will be known as “Dallas Stadium” during the five weeks of tournament play, and other stadiums across the United States are adopting similar names. Yet, since the stadium is in Arlington, many are wondering: Why aren’t we calling it “Arlington Stadium?”
The majority of the backlash came on social media on Monday.
“‘Dallas Stadium’ voted on and paid for by taxpayers in Tarrant County,” WFAA anchor Marc Istook wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“The New York stadium isn’t in New York. The Dallas stadium isn’t in Dallas. The Boston stadium isn’t in Boston. The San Francisco stadium isn’t in San Francisco. None of the above matter to anyone, really,” Mark Fishkin, host of the New York Red Bulls podcast Seeing Red, added.
According to the Dallas Morning News, others on Facebook added remarks like, “Arlington becomes Dallas’ little sister again,” “Arlington doesn’t exist. It’s a figment of someone’s imagination,” and “Dallas trying so hard to use everything Arlington to stay relevant in the world.”
Meanwhile, Arlington Mayor Jim Ross has warned those upset with the name about overreacting.
“Am I happy that it’s being branded something other than Arlington? No, it doesn’t thrill me,” Ross told the DMN. “Look, I would love for it to be called Arlington Stadium, but I get it. The bottom line is we are going to put on a wonderful show, and people will know that Arlington is the best place to host the World Cup.”
Those involved with the bidding process have continually referred to “Dallas” as the hosting city and declined to comment on the ongoing backlash.
AT&T Stadium is slated to host nine 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, including a semifinal match.
