Dallas will be one of the busiest hubs of the World Cup 2026, both on and off the pitch. The Metroplex hosts nine matches at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, which FIFA and local organizers will brand as Dallas Stadium for the tournament, including five group-stage fixtures, two Round of 32 games, a Round of 16 tie, and a semi-final on July 14. The confirmed schedule already includes headline matchups such as Netherlands vs. Japan, England vs. Croatia, and Argentina vs. Austria, making North Texas one of the key centers of gravity for the tournament.
Off the field, Dallas will also function as the broadcast nerve centre. FIFA has selected the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center as the International Broadcast Centre, where around 2,000 media professionals will work during the event.
For fans planning their World Cup in Dallas, that means two parallel maps to think about. On one side, you have suburban Arlington, home to Dallas Stadium, Six Flags Over Texas, and Texas Live! forming a match-day cluster with an NFL-scale parking footprint. On the other hand, you have central Dallas, where the DART light-rail network, the Arts District, Klyde Warren Park, and downtown fan zones will carry most of the day-to-day World Cup energy. This guide focuses on how to move between those worlds: where to base yourself, how to use transit from DFW and Love Field airports, and which neighborhoods, parks, and museums make the most sense to explore between kickoffs.
Things To Do In Dallas During World Cup 2026
If you want to feel the city’s energy without straying too far from transit and hotels, start with downtown and the nearby Arts District. The AT&T Discovery District sits in the heart of downtown and combines a pedestrian plaza, a massive outdoor media wall, light installations, and food and drink options that often anchor watch programming. A short walk away, Klyde Warren Park caps a downtown freeway with an urban green space that connects the central business district to Uptown. Its lawns, food trucks, and regular events make it an easy place to decompress between matches or meet friends from different fan bases.
Just up the street, the Dallas Arts District gives Dallas visitors one of the most compact cultural runs in the United States. The district spans roughly 19 blocks and is widely cited as the largest contiguous urban arts district in the country, with institutions such as the Dallas Museum of Art, the Nasher Sculpture Center, and the Meyerson Symphony Center all within walking distance of one another.
The Dallas Museum of Art offers free general admission to its collection galleries, making it a low-cost way to step out of the heat and into several thousand years of art. When you are ready for nightlife, Deep Ellum’s murals, live music venues, and bars, along with Bishop Arts District’s independent shops and restaurants in Oak Cliff, round out a list of neighborhoods where visitors actually spend their evenings.
Where To Stay In Dallas For World Cup Matches
If your priority is walking to games, focus on the Entertainment District in Arlington, where Dallas Stadium, Globe Life Field, Texas Live!, and a cluster of hotels sit in a tight radius. Properties such as Live! by Loews – Arlington and Sheraton Arlington Hotel are within a short walk of the stadium and Texas Live!, a dining and entertainment complex that often serves as a fan hub during major events. This area suits fans who plan to spend most of their time around match games and theme-park runs at nearby Six Flags Over Texas rather than in central Dallas.
Travelers who want a more urban base usually choose downtown Dallas, Victory Park, or Uptown and then drive or take shuttles to games. Downtown hotels such as The Adolphus and Hyatt Regency Dallas sit near DART light-rail stations and give easy access to the Arts District, Klyde Warren Park, and the AT&T Discovery District, with DART’s Orange Line linking the area directly to DFW International Airport.
In Victory Park, W Dallas – Victory places guests close to American Airlines Center and the DART network, while Hotel ZaZa Dallas in Uptown appeals to visitors who want walkable dining and nightlife as their home base between trips out to Dallas Stadium. Keep in mind that Arlington does not have direct rail service, so you will rely on cars, rideshares, or tournament shuttles to reach matches.
Best Neighborhoods For Visiting Fans
When you zoom out from individual hotels, three central districts work especially well for Dallas World Cup visitors who want transit and urban life. Downtown Dallas offers the broadest range of chain and independent hotels, plus direct DART service to both DFW International Airport and Dallas Love Field via the Orange and Green Lines and the Love Link shuttle. Victory Park, just to the north, adds a sports arena, new-build apartments, and bars within walking distance of light rail.
Uptown, connected by Klyde Warren Park’s footpaths and DART’s Cityplace/Uptown station, brings in more restaurants and a dense cluster of bars and cafés that stay busy year-round, not just for matches. Guests who care most about local culture and nightlife often gravitate toward Deep Ellum, Bishop Arts District, and the emerging scene around Trinity Groves and the Ronald Kirk Pedestrian Bridge. Deep Ellum’s street art, music venues, and late-night spots give the area a long-standing reputation as one of Dallas’ most distinctive neighborhoods.
Bishop Arts provides a more low-rise, walkable environment with independent boutiques and dining in Oak Cliff. On the west side, Trinity Groves sits at the base of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, offering skyline views and easy access to the Ronald Kirk Pedestrian Bridge, a car-free span popular for evening walks and free events. If you prefer to be close to the stadium, the Entertainment District in Arlington forms its own neighborhood of hotels, bars, and venues tailored for sports travel.
Free Things To Do In Dallas Between Matches
World Cup travel budgets add up fast, so free public spaces matter. Klyde Warren Park is one of the easiest places to start. The park regularly hosts free events, fitness classes, and cultural programming on its lawns, with food trucks and kiosks lining the edges. It also acts as a bridge between downtown and Uptown, which means you can combine a visit with a walk into the Dallas Arts District or an evening out in nearby restaurants.
For more free culture, the Dallas Museum of Art offers complimentary general admission to its permanent collection, allowing visitors to explore galleries that range from ancient artifacts to contemporary works without a ticket fee. Outside, you can wander past outdoor sculptures and architecture in the Arts District or head west for skyline views from the Ronald Kirk Pedestrian Bridge and the Trinity Skyline Trails, which sit opposite downtown and the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge. Back downtown, the AT&T Discovery District remains free to enter, so you can watch the media wall, light installations, and occasional performances without paying for anything beyond whatever you decide to eat or drink.
Bringing The Kids? How To Make It Family-Friendly
Families doing the World Cup in Dallas can base a lot of their off-pitch time around a compact downtown cluster of attractions. The Perot Museum of Nature and Science sits just northwest of downtown and offers hands-on science exhibits, dinosaur skeletons, and interactive galleries aimed at school-age children, with timed tickets that help manage crowds. From there, you can walk to Klyde Warren Park’s dedicated children’s area for playground time, then continue into the Dallas Museum of Art for a quiet hour indoors, all without moving the car.
The Dallas World Aquarium, a multi-level indoor rainforest and aquarium complex near downtown, adds another kid-friendly stop that works well for hot summer afternoons. If you are willing to travel a bit farther, larger family attractions sit just outside the city core. The Dallas Zoo, three miles south of downtown, covers about 106 acres and houses more than 2,000 animals, making it the largest zoo in Texas and a full-day outing for kids.
In Arlington, Six Flags Over Texas offers roller coasters and family rides, with a new record-breaking “giga dive” coaster, Tormenta Rampaging Run, slated to open in 2026 as part of a broader Spanish-themed area. Balancing one or two of these big-ticket excursions with free park time and museum visits in central Dallas keeps the schedule manageable for younger fans while still making the most of being in town for World Cup 2026.
