Dallas’ convention center will officially host the FIFA World Cup’s “International Broadcast Center” in 2026. The city council voted to approve the final contract during Wednesday’s meeting.
The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in downtown will be turned into the 2026 World Cup’s only broadcast center. It will host about 2,000 journalists coming to the city to cover the tournament. FIFA will have 24/7 access to most of the facility for about a month and a half while the tournament takes place, according to city officials.
“Downtown Dallas is excited to be the hub for our entire region, which will be playing host on this global stage,” Jennifer Scripps, president and CEO of Downtown Dallas Inc, said during the meeting. “Simply put, we are ready for Dallas, and especially downtown Dallas, to shine on this international stage.”
Dallas is one of 11 cities across the country to host some part of the tournament. The official matches will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington and Dallas will host the FIFA Fan Festival at Fair Park and the broadcast center.
The entire event could bring around $2 billion in economic impact to the North Texas region, according to city officials.
FIFA’s agreement with the city’s convention center management firm comes with some stipulations. The city will likely invest up to $15 million into the facility to meet the terms of the contract.
Staff members told members of the city council earlier this month that some of the costs were already anticipated. After those budgeted expenses, the city will need around $6 million to take care of the rest of FIFA’s requests.
“Making Dallas the home of the FIFA World Cup International Broadcast Center is a once in a generation opportunity to showcase our region on the global stage,” Latosha Herron Bruff, senior vice president over the Dallas Regional Chamber’s community engagement team, said during the meeting.
Bruff added that the broadcast center deal could “cement Dallas as a premier global hub for sports and innovation.”
While the contract could bring massive economic development benefits, some elected officials had questions about how that impact would affect Dallas residents.
“Have you talked about how were going to get this information out across Dallas…so everybody knows what’s going on?” District 4 Council Member Carolyn King Arnold asked.
VisitDallas Sports Commission Executive Director Monica Paul told the council that the goal is to give everyone the chance to experience the World Cup.
“We know that everyone is not going to have the opportunity to attend a match,” Paul said. “But I want to make sure they are aware of the Fan Festival opportunities, some of the meet and greet opportunities for some of the players or the coaches.”
Arnold pressed staff to make sure some of the money made off of the massive sports event makes it to her district in southern Dallas.
“We want to be able to spend some money with some of our vendors and our community,” Arnold said. “This is a billion dollar opportunity for us…and with all that money going out in this area, surely we can get a little piece of the pie – especially in the southern sector.”
The FIFA World Cup will last 39 days, feature 104 games with 48 teams played in 16 host cities in three countries around the world. The city has not hosted the tournament since 1994, according to city officials.
Got a tip? Email Nathan Collins at ncollins@kera.org. You can follow Nathan on Twitter @nathannotforyou.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.
