Arlington residents outraged as Cowboys’ stadium rebrands to ‘Dallas Stadium’ for World Cup | OneFootball

Residents of Arlington, Texas, have reacted with outrage after it was announced that their city football field will be renamed for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – to “Dallas Stadium.”

The venue, currently the AT&T Stadium, is the home of the Dallas Cowboys NFL team, despite being located some 20 miles outside its namesake city, and in a different county altogether.

“It’s NOT IN Dallas, it's not even in Dallas County!!! KISS MY GRITS. That’s Arlington, Texas, in Tarrant County, Texas, ” one indignant resident wrote online, in response to the news. “As an Arlington native, I am pissed. It's in Tarrant County. It's nowhere NEAR Dallas Count,” added another.

A third user wrote: “Talk about [being] confusing for people. Should be called Arlington stadium for the week. Taxpayers of Arlington paid their fair share and have to deal [with] the nightmare.”

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Residents of Arlington, Texas, have reacted with outrage after it was announced that their city football field will be renamed for the 2026 FIFA World Cup – to ‘Dallas Stadium’ (Getty Images)

Some were less sympathetic. “No one cares except people from Arlington,” wrote one user.

The name change is part of a wide sweep of temporary venue rebrands ahead of the global soccer tournament, scheduled to take place across North America next year. The draw for the World Cup will take place Friday at 1 p.m. the Kennedy Center, in Washington, D.C.

At the ceremony the 48-team field will be divided into 12 groups of four. Once the tournament starts, 32 teams will advance from those preliminary groups to the single-elimination knockout rounds.

However, FIFA rules prevent stadiums from being named after corporate sponsors to prevent them receiving exposure during the tournament.

As a result, 14 out of the 16 host stadiums for the tournament are taking on more generic names to reflect the area in which they are located. For some the changes are straightforward, though some, like Arlington, are more confusing.

Here is the full list of name changes coming to U.S. stadiums next year:

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The name change is part of a wide sweep of temporary venue rebrands ahead of the global soccer tournament, scheduled to take place across North America next year. The draw for the World Cup will take place Friday at 1 p.m. the Kennedy Center, in Washington, D.C (AFP/Getty)

Atlanta Stadium

The Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, will be simply renamed as “Atlanta Stadium.” The venue has a capacity of around 75,000.

BC Place Vancouver

BC Place in Vancouver is one of the few stadiums to retain its own name. Located in Vancouver, British Columbia, it has a capacity is around 55,000.

Boston Stadium

Normally known as the Gillette Stadium, the venue will become the “Boston Stadium” despite being located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, 30 miles from downtown Boston. It seats approximately 70,000.

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(Getty Images)

Dallas Stadium

The AT&T Stadium is the largest venue to be used for the 2026 World Cup, with a capacity of around 93,000. It is located in Arlington, Texas.

Estadio Azteca Mexico City

The famous Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico, is another venue to keep its name for the tournament and has a capacity of around 88,000.

Estadio Guadalajara

The stadium will be known as “Estadio Guadalajara” despite being located in nearby Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico. It is typically known as Estadio Akron and seats 48,000.

Estadio Monterrey

The stadium in Guadalupe, Nuevo León, Mexico, is known as Estadio BBVA and will change to “Estadio Monterrey” for the tournament. It has a capacity of around 54,000.

Houston Stadium

The name change for Texas’s other stadium is less controversial. Located in Houston, Texas, this venue is currently known as NRG Stadium, with seating for around 72,000 fans.

Kansas City Stadium

The GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium is located in Kansas City, Missouri, but will take its city’s name for the tournament. It seats some 76,000 people.

Los Angeles Stadium

The $5BN SoFi Stadium, located in Inglewood, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, will rebrand as “Los Angeles Stadium.” Its capacity is approximately 70,000.

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The $5BN SoFi Stadium, located in Inglewood, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, will rebrand as “Los Angeles Stadium.” Its capacity is approximately 70,000 (Getty Images)

Miami Stadium

Located in Miami Gardens, Florida, the venue is normally known as Hard Rock Stadium and seats approximately 68,000.

New York New Jersey Stadium

This stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, across the Hudson River from New York City, is set to host the World Cup final. Typically called MetLife Stadium, its capacity is about 87,000.

Philadelphia Stadium

Lincoln Financial Field, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will take on its city’s name for the tournament. It has room for around 69,000 fans.

San Francisco Bay Area Stadium

The NFL stadium is actually located in Santa Clara, California, around 45 miles south of San Francisco and is called Levi’s Stadium. Its capacity is around 71,000.

Seattle Stadium

Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, holds approximately 69,000. It will be known as “Seattle Stadium” for the World Cup.

The stadium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is usually known as BMO Field. It has a capacity of about 45,000 for soccer fans.