City staff brief council on FIFA World Cup planning, business and volunteer outreach

Deputy City Manager Jennifer Wakeman briefed the council on June 10 about Arlington’s planning and outreach for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will bring multiple matches and a semifinal to AT&T Stadium.

Wakeman said the city’s World Cup planning team — with multiple departments and local partners including the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau — has been meeting since 2023 and is coordinating stadium logistics, public safety planning and business engagement. Wakeman described a communications theme, “Arlington Welcomes the World,” and said the city is preparing targeted town halls for hotels (late June), restaurants (July) and entertainment-district businesses (Aug. 14) to help local businesses understand closures, traffic and opportunities to participate. She said the city hopes to launch an Arlington-specific World Cup web page pending FIFA review.

On legal and financial coordination, Wakeman said the city is negotiating an event agreement with the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee; that agreement would cover participation in the Major Event Reimbursement Program, delineate responsibilities among FIFA, the Cowboys and the city, and include reimbursement of city expenses not covered by existing stadium agreements. She said staff hopes to bring the draft event agreement to the council for action in late June or July.

Wakeman encouraged businesses to register through the regional Dallas FIFA 2026 web portals for small-business participation and said volunteer registration is available through the same regional channels; she said the city will link to those resources from the Arlington page once FIFA approves the content.

Ending: Wakeman said planning is ongoing and the city will return with an event agreement and more operational details for council review.