FIFA World Cup 2026 will come to the Dallas-Fort Worth area next summer, but media will start moving into the International Broadcast Centre in Dallas next month.
The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center is on track to deliver the broadcast center by January 14, said Rosa Fleming, Director of Convention and Event Services. That's when around 2,000 broadcast media representatives will be able to move in their equipment.
The broadcast center will be operational on May 27, ahead of the Dallas-Fort Worth matches.
Sixteen North American cities are hosting the World Cup, but there will be only one broadcast center. All 104 matches will be broadcast out of Dallas.
Fleming said Dallas stood out from the rest because of the city's hospitality and its downtown life which includes public transportation options.
The convention center has one million square feet of exhibit space, three ballrooms, 88 meeting rooms, a 9,816-seat arena, and a 1,750-seat theater. It is also next to a 1,000-room hotel, the Omni.
Arlington is one of the host cities, with nine matches coming to AT&T Stadium. It's being referred to as as Dallas Stadium by FIFA, despite objections from locals. Argentina, England, Japan, Austria, Netherlands, Croatia, and Jordan are the teams playing in June.
Brett Wilkinson, Public Affairs Specialist, called the lineup a "dream draw."
"We've got some of the most popular soccer teams in the entire world with some of the best fan bases," Wilkinson said. "So we're really positioned for Dallas to just be really kind of the center of FIFA World Cup 2026."
Dallas City Council approved $15 million for convention center construction to make the broadcast center a reality.
Fleming said $10 million was spent on building a technical compound for broadcasting equipment, preparing power supply, HVAC improvements, and roof repair. Another $5 million was spent on exterior work like street improvements and making the area walkable.
That construction on the KBHCC is part of a larger expansion of the convention center district, which is estimated to cost around $3.7 billion.
The expansion is expected to be complete in 2029.
Craig Davis, Visit Dallas President & CEO, told KERA that the convention center has events on the books as far ahead as 2041. Events are booked for 2029, but Visit Dallas has worked with those organizations to find alternative locations in case of construction delays.
All booked events are under a contract that includes a penalty fee if its canceled and relocated. Davis said that fee increases the closer the booking date.
There is no definitive date set for when the expanded center will officially open. Davis said they will have the ability to book events the same year they open.
"We're gonna be the new kids on the block, we're going to be the bright and shiny penny," Davis said. "So people will want to book us."
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