Fort Worth welcomed 3 million visitors during World Cup
About 3 million tourists said “Howdy” to Fort Worth during the World Cup.
Cowtown saw a significant economic impact as global visitors descended upon the city in June and July during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Watch parties helped draw millions to Sundance Square and the Fort Worth Stockyards while shuttle buses took others to city attractions and shopping areas.
Numbers of visitors to Fort Worth were 9% higher than usual summer numbers, Drew Hays, vice president of sports at Visit Fort Worth and executive director of the Fort Worth Sports Commission, told city council members during a presentation Aug. 4.
“Fort Worth knows how to shine on the world stage,” Hays said.
Hays said data gathered from calculating numbers of cell phones in use did not include some global visitors, so the visitor numbers are likely even higher. Tourism in Fort Worth was aided by large conventions such as the 2026 Texas FFA convention, which drew more than 16,500 students to downtown in July. A rodeo event during the soccer tournament attracted 50,000 people, he said.
Economic data is still being accumulated, but the World Cup was a marketing win for Fort Worth, Hays and others said.
The average hotel daily count was up 22% during the tournament, Hays said.
A regional plan to welcome visitors to North Texas worked well, setting the city up for success in the future for major events, he said.
“We have the blueprint,” Hays said.
To welcome visitors, Fort Worth tourism officials created their own “Howdy World” brand to unite Tarrant County communities. More than 180 Fort Worth-area businesses participated in the campaign by placing welcome banners, window clings and other marketing tools for visitors to see.
About 1,000 volunteers were soccer ambassadors during the tournament. Media outlets submitted 85 requests to film around the city, Hays said.
About 200 Fort Worth city staffers were involved in planning and other efforts for months — some for years — Hays said.
Employees from Environmental Services, Parks and Recreation, and Code Compliance departments conducted weekly audits of 50 priority travel routes. Traffic teams and other law enforcement agencies responded to over 35 road incidents, but there were no major delays to stadium travel, officials said.
First responders provided more than 50,000 hours of service over 45 days, from June 5 to July 19. Dispatchers handled more than 1,900 emergency calls that involved translation services, officials said.
The top three languages heard in Fort Worth during the World Cup were Spanish, Russian and Portuguese.
Behind the scenes, Fort Worth personnel were stationed at the Dallas County Joint Operations Center as well as the FIFA World Cup International Police Coordination Center in Leesburg, Virginia.
Fort Worth Meacham International Airport, where mostly private and charter flights land, was used for overflow traffic from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, officials said.
City employees were recognized with commemorative coins at the council’s work session.
Regional cooperation and partnerships in North Texas led to a successful sporting event, said Monica Paul, president of the North Texas FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee and executive director of the Dallas Sports Commission, during a July 28 Fort Worth Chamber panel.
The North Texas organizing committee commissioned a study that estimated a total impact for North Texas of between $1.5 billion to $2 billion.
Arlington Mayor Jim Ross said at a recent news conference that the city was projected to receive $160 million in economic impact from the tournament — about half of the annual economic impact of AT&T Stadium, which hosted nine World Cup matches.
“$160 million is literally about half of that entire impact on our city, so it’s been substantial,” Ross told reporters.
Arlington reported roughly $31 million in hotel occupancy tax revenue in June, the mayor previously said.
Fort Worth council member Elizabeth Beck said Fort Worth city staffers and partners did an outstanding job with the tournament.
“It made my heart happy to see so many people enjoying Fort Worth,” she said.
Eric E. Garcia is senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org.
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