By Sarah Bahari
Dallas Morning News
Reprinted – by Texas Metro News
“We’re happy to call it the Arlington-Dallas Stadium,” Mayor Jim Ross offered.
Arlington would simply like a little credit.
As the city prepares to welcome millions of visitors to town for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Mayor Jim Ross said changing the name of AT&T Stadium to Dallas Stadium, as planned, is a tough pill to swallow.
The stadium must change its name to comply with FIFA regulations that prohibit corporate sponsors from representing host venues. But AT&T Stadium, as just about any North Texan knows, is not in Dallas.
“Arlington has to be recognized,” Ross told Dallas Sports Commission Executive Director Monica Paul at a city council meeting this week. “We will be at the center of the universe on this thing. We’re not asking for a lot, but calling that stadium by another city’s name is really going to go hard with 400,000 residents in Arlington.”
Instead, Ross suggested sharing the geographic location credit for the nine North Texas matches: “We’re happy to call it the Arlington-Dallas Stadium,” he said.
AT&T Stadium is not the only venue preparing for a name change. New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, which will host the tournament’s final game, will be renamed New York New Jersey Stadium. Boston Stadium is actually in Foxborough, Mass., and Los Angeles Stadium is in Inglewood, but both suburbs are far smaller than Arlington.
Paul, who has influence but does not make the final decision, assured the council she would work with it next year. Paul did not immediately respond to an email Thursday from The Dallas Morning News. FIFA, which is ultimately responsible for naming World Cup sites, made clear in its initial announcement that stadium names during the tournament may differ from common designations.
In a phone call Thursday, the Arlington mayor told The News that his comments were not intended as a dig, but his city is proud of its role as the region’s entertainment hub and does not want to get overlooked.
“Dallas is the big boy in the metroplex, and we love and appreciate everything Dallas does,” he said. “But Arlington brings millions of millions of people here. To come in and call this Dallas Stadium doesn’t do justice for who we are.”
Arlington — which has a population of some 400,000 and is in Tarrant County — is accustomed to feeling overshadowed by the much-larger Dallas, with a population of 1.3 million and international name recognition. But Ross points out that in many states, Arlington would be the largest city and biggest draw. The city boasts a larger population than New Orleans, St. Louis and Pittsburgh.
This is not the first time such complaints have emerged. Residents lamented in 2022 when FIFA announced Dallas, not Arlington, as one of 16 World Cup host cities. Even the bid to host World Cup matches, organized by North Texas civic and business leaders, was presented as Dallas 2026.
Arlington taxpayers are quick to point out they footed the bill to build AT&T Stadium, and the city’s residents must deal with the traffic as a result of the bustling entertainment district.
On a side note, Arlington was once home to Arlington Stadium, home of the Texas Rangers until 1993. That stadium was demolished to make way for Globe Life Park. Arlington Stadium is not to be confused with Texas Stadium, former home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Irving.
Regardless of the stadium’s eventual name, Ross said the World Cup has the potential to reshape North Texas and bring in hundreds of millions of dollars.
“We’re excited,” he said. “This entire region will be on the world stage like never before.”
This story, originally published in The Dallas Morning News, is reprinted as part of a collaborative partnership between The Dallas Morning News and Texas Metro News. The partnership seeks to boost coverage of Dallas’ communities of color, particularly in southern Dallas.
