Dallas hosts the 2026 World Cup at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, the largest venue in the tournament at over 92,000 seats, and the good news is that its retractable roof and air conditioning neutralise the Texas heat inside the ground. The challenge is everything outside it: Dallas in June and July regularly tops 35 degrees, and the stadium sits between Dallas and Fort Worth, so transport planning matters as much as sun protection.

AT&T Stadium is a spectacle in itself, with a vast video board, wide concourses and a roof that closes against heat and storms. Seats are comfortable by stadium standards, but the sheer size means arriving early pays off: security lines are long for 90,000 crowds, and finding your section in a bowl this big takes time. The stadium's scale also means the atmosphere builds slowly, so arrive at least an hour before kickoff to soak it in.

Food inside is classic Texas stadium fare, with barbecue and Tex-Mex options among the better choices, though prices are stadium prices. Eating a proper meal before entering is the budget move.

Treat the journey as the heat risk, not the match: travel in the morning or evening, carry water, wear a hat and light clothing, and use air-conditioned transport wherever possible. Arlington is served by the Trinity Railway Express between Dallas and Fort Worth, plus matchday buses and rideshares, but there is no direct rail station at the stadium itself, so the final leg is usually a bus or a walk in the heat.

Stay in Dallas or Fort Worth rather than Arlington itself, where hotel choice is limited: downtown Dallas offers rail access and nightlife, while Fort Worth's Stockyards district offers a more Texan experience with live music and barbecue.

The two cities reward a split stay: Dallas for museums, the Sixth Floor Museum and the arts district, Fort Worth for the Stockyards, rodeos and western heritage. Barbecue is the essential food experience, with the best spots requiring a wait that is part of the ritual, and Tex-Mex is the everyday staple.

Practical note: Dallas distances are car-scale, so budget for rideshares or a rental car if you plan to explore beyond downtown. For matchdays alone, rail plus bus is enough, and far less stressful than stadium parking.

Fort Worth offers the most Texan day out of the tournament: the Stockyards National Historic District preserves the cattle-drive era with daily longhorn cattle drives, rodeos, western shops and live country music, all within a compact walkable area. It is a world away from Dallas's glass towers, and for international visitors it provides the Texas of the imagination, complete with cowboy hats, barbecue smoke and honky-tonk bars. The district works best as a full afternoon, arriving for the cattle drive, staying for a barbecue dinner and finishing with live music.

Beyond the Stockyards, Fort Worth's cultural district hosts world-class art museums, including the Kimbell and the Modern Art Museum, which surprise visitors expecting only cowboy culture. Combining a morning of art with an afternoon in the Stockyards gives a rounded picture of a city that is far more than a Dallas suburb. For World Cup visitors, Fort Worth also offers cheaper hotels than Dallas and a more relaxed pace, making it a smart base for fans attending matches at AT&T Stadium, which sits between the two cities.

One more Dallas tip that first-time visitors often miss: the stadium's enormous video board and open concourses mean you can follow replays and other scores without leaving your seat area, so plan a lap of the concourse before kickoff to find food, restrooms and your exit route, because navigating 92,000 people after the final whistle is far easier when you already know the layout.