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ARLINGTON, TX — FIFA's venue takeover ahead of World Cup matches usually involves covering up advertising signage and installing a world-class soccer field. In AT&T Stadium, christened Dallas Stadium during the World Cup, it went one step further.
It installed curtains.
While the venue is hosting its fourth match of the tournament June 25, the curtains are in use for the first time, with organizers worrying the setting sun, which will complete its nightly routine at 8:40 p.m. local time, may have caused issues with the on-field action set to kickoff at 6 p.m. local.
Curtains have been an unexpectedly hot topic in North Texas, given the number of fall Sundays during which the hometown Dallas Cowboys have been driving into the sun - or having it at its back. But despite the frequent squinting, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and the organization have opted against mitigation efforts.
"Every venue has certain things that at certain ways and times in the contest can create an advantage. That really goes under the category of home-field advantage," Jones told radio station 105.3 The Fan in 2024 after a controversial moment in a Cowboys game "I don't want to adjust it."
In addition to the curtains, FIFA also has a tinted graphic on both ends of the stadium, which in addition to branding serves to temper some of the natural light coming into the venue through the huge windows at either end.
FIFA had long planned to have the curtains closed for this match, the fourth of nine games the venue is hosting, more than any other at the 2026 World Cup. The next match, Argentina's group finale against Jordan, kicks at 9 p.m. local, well after sunset.
All four of the knockout matches in the venue are slated to kick at 3 p.m. local time or earlier.
Source: USA Today
