Although the matches will be played in Arlington, Frisco is positioning itself to be a key player in the area, officials said. Frisco is one of two base camps in the area, it will host several fan events and is the home to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
The World Cup runs June 11-July 19, with matches starting in DFW on June 14. Nine matches will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, the most for any host city. That has made DFW an epicenter for the World Cup and is why Frisco was selected as a host city, said Jimmy Smith, chief operating officer and chief financial officer at FC Dallas.
Teams will arrive in Frisco in early June to train and practice at their designated facility, said Monica Paul, president of the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee and director of the Dallas Sports Commission. She said there may not be a lot of fans traveling to base camps, but it’s going to generate increased tax dollars for the city by just having a team staying locally.
“This is a huge validation for Frisco, Texas, Toyota Stadium and for us at FC Dallas,” Smith said. “It’s a strong endorsement of the things we are doing here. We know that this is a great soccer community.”
The outlook
The North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee expects about 100,000 visitors per day to travel to the broader DFW market the duration of the tournament, said Josh Dill, Visit Frisco’s assistant executive director.
It’s unknown how many visitors Frisco will see, but Mayor Jeff Cheney said he anticipates a “spillover impact” from Arlington.
Dill said one of the biggest benefits is the opportunity to introduce international and domestic visitors to Frisco.
Frisco officials expect to see an increase in hotel room stays with the Swedish national team setting up base in Frisco. The longer they are in the tournament, the longer they will stay, Dill said.
A closer look
With the World Cup around the corner, Frisco is implementing a new transportation system around Frisco and a micro-transit option for The Rail District and Toyota Stadium.
Frisco is partnering with Via Transportation—a company that provides on-demand, shared public transit—to move people around The Rail District. Riders can use the service for free, with the vehicle running every 10 minutes. City officials also recently approved a separate agreement with the Denton County Transportation Authority for GoZone microtransit services, an on-demand rideshare service, that will run through at least 2029 in a larger part of the city. The rides cost $3-$5.
“We’ve done a lot of planning just to make sure with the visitors here that they’re safe, our people who live here are safe,” Cheney said.
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Also of note
Being a base camp won’t just benefit hotels and the city but local businesses as well, said Christal Howard, Frisco Chamber of Commerce president and CEO.
“Beyond the immediate increase in traffic and sales opportunities, this is about long-term visibility,” Howard said in an email. “Frisco will be once again on the world stage. That kind of exposure can influence future tourism, business travel, and even corporate relocation decisions for years to come.”
Regionally, the World Cup is expected to generate billions in economic impact, according to FIFA. The chamber, along with Visit Frisco, hosted an event to help prepare businesses for the potential influx of international visitors.
More visitors means more potential revenue that comes into the city through sales taxes, which then are used to reinvest back into city infrastructure.
To account for visitors, the National Soccer Hall of Fame will likely extend its hours of operations, said Djorn Buchholz, hall of fame executive director. About 80% of clients are already from out of town, he said.
“This is the global moment we’ve all been waiting for and it’s here now,” he said.
By the numbers
- $2 billion economic impact in North Texas
- $116M safety grants shared with DFW and Houston
- 4 million DFW airport passengers
- 9 matches in Arlington
The impact
FC Dallas may have several players participating in the tournament. Three players are potentially playing for their respective national teams: Croatia, Haiti and Sweden.
FC Dallas player Herman Johansson could potentially play for Sweden. Johansson said Frisco is a great environment for a team to base in.
“It’s exciting to know Sweden will be here,” Johansson said in an email. “When I decided to come here, that wasn’t something I was thinking about at all, but now that it’s happening, it feels really special.”
Frisco will host a soccer fan celebration outside Simpson Plaza across the street from Toyota Stadium.
Smith said he believes that the combination of the Hall of Fame, the base camp and the fan event will firmly position Frisco as the focal point and “unofficial headquarters” of the entire tournament.
“I hope [for] the families and the kids that get to experience it here in just a couple months that it creates one of those lifelong memories,” Cheney said.