The field of dreams – and the story behind it
The house that Jerry built, aka Jerry World, is the largest stadium in NFL and the biggest in America to co-host the World Cup. Home of Dallas Cowboys, AT&T Stadium is sited in Arlington, between Fort Worth and Dallas, in an area of various sports and leisure attractions.
When controversial owner Jerry Jones bought the Cowboys for a song in 1989, steering the team to three Super Bowl victories in five years, home was still Texas Stadium in Irving. Pouring millions into influencing a ballot to persuade Arlington taxpayers to fund half the construction, Jones oversaw the creation of one of the most expensive stadiums in history, 80,000 seats beneath a retractable roof facing two vast video screens.
Air-conditioning, all 11,000 tons of it, protects spectators from the fierce Texan heat. Costs eventually ran beyond $1 billion, Jones covering overruns of 100%.
The arena is rather the house that Bryan built, Dallas-born architect Bryan Trubey having envisaged something more akin to a civic institution rather than a sports ground. The result rises out of the ground like a vast shining dome, monumental and imposing, like the formerly dominant Cowboys,.
In turn, it led to Trubey picking up commissions to create sports stadiums across the States, including working on the revolutionary, award-winning design of SoFI Stadium in Los Angeles.
Opened in 2009, the same year that the record attendance of 105,121 was set for football, the initially named Cowboys Stadium, soon welcomed a full house for soccer. After Mexico made the first of several appearances here, in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, El Tri would continue to attract big crowds.
Officially named AT&T Stadium from 2013 – although the sponsor’s name will be removed for the World Cup, when the arena becomes simply Dallas Stadium – Jerry World continued to stage at least one high-profile soccer fixture here most summers. Chelsea, Roma, Brazil. they’ve all played here.
In 2023, 82,026 witnessed Spain’s El Clásico, although this figure doesn’t compare with the 131,372 who watched WrestleMania here the year before.
Among the nine games here at the AT&T/Dallas Stadium this summer, there’s England’s opener with Croatia on June 17 and four knock-out matches, including the semi-final on July 14 – expect Messimania for two of Argentina’s group games.
getting here
Going to the stadium – tips and timings
Dallas Fort Worth Airport is 19 miles (31km) from Downtown Dallas. From Terminal A, the Orange Line of the DART light rail network runs to Dallas city center, including transit hub Akard Station (every 20mins, 50min journey time) close to Elm Street.
If you’re going direct from the airport to the stadium, from Terminal D (Lower Level), Trinity Metro LINK buses take 20mins to reach Centreport Station (Centreport/DFW Airport Station), where shuttles head to the game (see below). Tickets are $2. Download the GoPass app for tickets and schedules. You can also tap in or there are ticket machines at main stops and stations. A Day Pass is $6, the Regional One-Day Pass $9, which is also valid for stadium transport. See all fare information here.
For sightseeing and barhopping, the M-Line Trolley along McKinney Avenue is completely free, although you’ll have to pay once you transfer.
Smaller Love Field Airport is six miles (10km) north-west of Downtown Dallas, mainly used by low-cost Southwest Airlines. Free service Love Link bus 005 runs every 15-30mins to Inwood/Love Field Station (8-10min journey time) on the Green and Orange Lines.
From Victory Station in Downtown Dallas and Central Station in Fort Worth, Trinity Railway Express (TRE) trains run to the main transport hub on game days, Centreport/DFW Airport Station, five miles north of the stadium. Free for match ticket holders, stadium shuttle buses then operate from five hours before kickoff and for three hours after the game. Use the GoPass app for TRE tickets and times.
If you’re driving, parking must be pre-booked through JustPark, cheapest spots from $125-$200. Taxis, Ubers and other hired vehicles must pick up and drop off from Arlington Esports Stadium, ten minutes from AT&T Stadium on foot.
Serving Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington, Texas Yellow Cabs (+1 817-676-3702) promises no surge prices.
Where to Drink
Pre-match beers for fans and casual visitors
Drinking in Arlington a short hop from the stadium makes sense on game day, particularly as prominent bars such as J Gilligan’s provide a stadium shuttle service – albeit at $26 a time for the World Cup, with prior registration required, for the one-mile, five-minute journey. There is free parking on-site, however.
As for the pub, a sprawling establishment with several rooms and a porch, it ticks all the right boxes, with plentiful screens, standard beers on tap and the house speciality, Irish nachos. There’s occasional live music, too, if you’re sticking around after the match.
Round the corner, the recently opened Black Sheep Sports Bar shares its space with a good ole’ Texas BBQ restaurant, allowing for crosspollination customer-wise and irresistible aromas for carnivores. Fifteen TVs screen match action, four pool tables see serious action and the jukebox is a nice touch, as is the marble finish to the bar counter. Latin DJ nights on Saturdays keeps the place lively once the sports fans start to drift away.
For something a little more louche before you head to the game, or until 2am afterwards, Caves Lounge at 900 W Division St provides eclectic sounds from its jukebox, with room for revelry inside and out. If you’re with an alternative crowd, this place has your name on it. Decent craft beers and cocktails, too.
For something more mainstream and if you have kids in tow, Texan chain pizzeria Cane Rosso bakes its pies in a wood-fired oven and pours rare beers such as Troy Aikman’s Eight and 3 Nations Brewing from nearby Carrollton. Screens over the bar means you can pretend to concentrate on your dining partner as you watch the action.
Around the stadium complex, on the other side from Arlington, Smoke Chemistry Social appeals to smartly dressed cocktail drinkers and cigar smokers – ideal for wealthier, more mature followers of the Dallas Cowboys.
Serving the three stadiums that surround it, Texas Live! comprises 11 venues in one, 100 feet of video wall and 122 screens keeping the packed masses watching and drinking – 22 bars see to that.
Which sounds great, except that for World Cup games here, they’re charging $26 for general admission, booked online.
If you’re here for another soccer fixture, you might want to treat yourself to some serious Texan BBQ delights at Lockhart Smokehouse, with live music thrown in on occasion.
Nearby on N Collins St, Mexican restaurant La Sirena serves all kinds of specialities, from slow-cooked cactus to red-hot camarones, as well as a whole mess of cocktails. Expect deals on margaritas for Mexico games
