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FIFA will release the 2026 World Cup fixture schedule on Sunday, which the organization says will be the biggest yet.
North Texas has already been selected as the host site, and Sunday’s announcement will provide more clarity on how many games will be played at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium, when they will be played, and which games will be held here. . The long-awaited final match.
Even if the finals aren’t held, officials say the event could bring historic numbers of tourists to the metropolitan area, and Fort Worth hopes to attract some of them. Are expected.
“During the World Cup, we estimate there will be 4 million visitors in the metropolitan area alone, with perhaps as many as 100,000 international visitors each day,” said Jason Sands, executive director of the Fort Worth Sports Commission. There is a possibility.” So this is a level we’ve never seen before. ”
FC Dallas president Dan Hunt said every game has Super Bowl-level impact.
“So if we had seven or eight games and hosted a semifinal or final, can you imagine what kind of impact that would have? It’s hard to wrap your head around it,” Sands said. said.
NBC 5 got insight from Juan Carlos Martinez, economics professor at the University of Dallas and economist at Crescent Securities Group.
He said the 2023 Super Bowl, to be held in Phoenix, Arizona, will have a total economic output of $1.3 billion.
“And $726,000 in state funding created 10,000 jobs and attracted more than 102,000 visitors over four days.”
Martinez said that for North Texas, that means each game held here could bring in up to $400 million, potentially $1 billion total.
“This is going to benefit a lot of local businesses, not just restaurants, hotels and transportation,” said Martinez, a soccer fan and FC Dallas season ticket holder. -Holder, himself.
By becoming a hub, Fort Worth hopes to attract as many fans as possible.
Sands said he would like to host a team and is talking about holding events such as fan fests, concerts and pop-ups.
He said one thing is for sure: Cowtown will have more cowboy culture for international guests and perhaps more rodeos.
“When people go to warehouses and see cowboy hats and boots, that’s what they think of in the West, especially in Texas. So we can show that experience,” he said. Told.
transportation planning
The Dallas Sports Commission and FC Dallas are two of the major organizations promoting North Texas as a FIFA destination.
They named Michael Morris, director of transportation at the North Central Texas Council of Governments, to lead transportation planning for the 2026 World Cup.
Mr. Morris has experience coordinating travel for other special events in the area, including the Super Bowl.
He said he has already presented the plan to FIFA twice and has already begun testing elements of it at recent sporting events in DFW.
He said the plan includes several travel options for fans, including charter buses.
Morris said he tested parts of the plan and found several kinks, including drivers not following designated routes between parking lots and the stadium.
“We quickly realized that the bus driver was not following the route, and we knew that if they were following the route they would be coming in this direction, so we We had drivers come in all kinds of directions. It was a good lesson for us,” he said.
Mr Morris said the Trinity Railway Express could also expect new rolling stock. It needs to be updated, he said, but the process is accelerating ahead of the World Cup.
He said timing is also a consideration, and he doesn’t want fans waiting in the Texas summer heat for transportation.
“There is a possibility that we will hold a last-minute event. We will need to provide temporary shade in certain areas,” he said.
Morris said they are considering the fact that fans will be visiting from all over the world, so they plan to install navigators and digital signage that can display messages in multiple languages.
“Humans will walk around key locations on the baton pass and become expert wayfinders,” he said.
He said the entire transportation plan will be tested at this year’s baseball All-Star Game, but officials will have two years to iron out wrinkles before the World Cup.
After Sunday’s announcement, further details will be released by officials and all planning will begin in earnest.
“We’ll be happy to get into the details after Sunday, but we’re not going to give last-minute advice to competitive cities,” he said.
Sunday’s final game announcement will be made at 2:00 PM CST and will be broadcast live on NBC5’s sister station Telemundo 39.
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