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North Texas' 2026 World Cup Transportation Plan
More than 100,000 daily visitors are expected to converge in the region. Arlington will play host to 9 matches at AT&T stadium, the most of any host city. Also, the City of Dallas will host the tournament’s international broadcast center. Fort Worth also has a major role in accommodating fans. So, with that, mobility is a huge consideration with planning underway now for months.
ARLINGTON, Texas - There are just over eight months until the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with North Texas hosting more matches than any other location. The games will be played at AT&T Stadium, but there are venues spread across North Texas for other events.
Thursday, transportation planners talked about the logistics of how visitors will get from place to place during the world's biggest sporting event.
North Texas FIFA transportation planning
More than 100,000 daily visitors are expected to converge on the region. Arlington will play host to nine matches at the stadium, the most of any host city.
The City of Dallas will host the tournament’s international broadcast center. Fort Worth also has a major role in accommodating fans.
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Therefore, mobility is a huge consideration with planning underway now for months.
The North Texas Central Council of Governments presented the latest overview of the plan at their Thursday meeting. Every major transportation entity is involved.
NCTCOG
The plans include enhanced versions of service from Trinity Rail Express, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, local bus systems, shuttle buses, private shuttles and ride-share companies.
Traffic flow will be critical, with the possibility of reversible managed lanes during peak travel times.
While it’s believed many local fans may drive to attend matches, a more concentrated planning effort is focused on moving visitors about on public transit.
What they're saying:
Natalie Bettger with NTCCOG spoke about their plan at the meeting.
"The good thing about our stadium in this area is we have a lot of parking. Unlike other host cities, they don't have the opportunity to have a lot of parking. The challenge we have is having transit to the stadium, and so we have offered transit to the stadium before we utilize the Trinity Railway Express and we charter folks in down from the Center Port Station. So we do plan to have transit. We expect a large number of fans to attend by transit, and that's what we're balancing with NTCCOG and the transit agencies to ensure that we can provide that service for the World Cup," Bettger said.
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Transportation details coming in December
What's next:
This is the second draft of the current transportation plan. More of the details will unfold in December, when specific teams and matches will be revealed.
Times for the matches and specifics like which teams will stay where at the designated base camps.
Lots of moving parts are still coming together. Thursday even heard discussions of working with major freight trains to assure no railway crossings would be blocked by passing trains at peak times during the games.
Further plans include the use of technology like mobile phone apps with real-time updates and info about options for getting around.
The Source: Information in this article came from FOX 4 coverage at a public NTCCOG meeting.