AT&T Stadium will be renamed Dallas Stadium for the World Cup.not everyone is happy

When the World Cup is held in Texas in 2026, there won’t be thousands of fans packed into Cowboys Stadium, Jerry World or, technically, AT&T Stadium.

Instead, they’re going to…pack into Dallas Stadium?

Yes, AT&T Stadium will be renamed Dallas Stadium to comply with FIFA regulations that prohibit corporate sponsors from representing the host venue during the World Cup.

But as most of us know, AT&T Stadium isn’t in Dallas. It’s located in Arlington, in the middle of Dallas and Fort Worth, but many people on social media pointed it out after FIFA announced it would host nine games in North Texas on Sunday.

AT&T Stadium isn’t the only venue preparing for a name change. MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where the final game of the tournament will be held, will be renamed New York New Jersey Stadium.

Arlington, with a population of about 400,000, has long felt overshadowed by the much larger Dallas, which has a population of 1.4 million and enjoys worldwide recognition.

Following the announcement, one person wrote on Facebook on Monday: “Arlington will be Dallas’ little sister again.” Another person joked, “Arlington doesn’t exist.” It’s a figment of someone’s imagination. ” And one social media user slammed Big D himself. “Dallas is trying hard to take advantage of everything Arlington has to offer and stay relevant in her world.”

Representatives for AT&T Stadium declined to comment Monday on the upcoming name change.

This is not the first time complaints have surfaced. Residents complained when FIFA announced Dallas instead of Arlington as one of 16 cities to host the World Cup in 2022. Even a bid to host a World Cup game was presented as “Dallas 2026,” organized by North Texas civic and business leaders.

Last year, some people reacted with irritation after Sen. Ted Cruz praised the Rangers’ victory in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Houston Astros as a Dallas victory.

“I’m a lifelong Astros fan – it was a tough night – but Dallas won Game 7 with a great performance. They earned it. And we have a Texas team in the #WorldSeries. So… Let’s go Rangers,” Cruz said in a statement. Tweet.

Arlington residents say they just want credit. After all, Arlington taxpayers are paying for his AT&T Stadium construction, and Arlington residents have to deal with sometimes exasperating traffic congestion due to the bustling entertainment district.

In fact, Arlington was once home to Arlington Stadium, home of the Texas Rangers until 1993. That stadium was demolished to make way for Globe Life Park. Arlington Stadium is not to be confused with Texas Stadium, the former home of the Dallas Cowboys in Irving.

Still, Arlington Mayor Jim Ross cautioned against getting too upset about the name change. The tournament will bring in hundreds of millions of dollars for the region, much of which will go to Arlington businesses, he said.

“Would I be happy to have a brand name other than Arlington? No, that doesn’t excite me,” Ross said. “I’d like to call it Arlington Stadium, you know.”

“The bottom line is we’re going to put on a great show and people are going to know that Arlington is a great place to host a World Cup.”

Staff writer Irving Mejia-Hilario contributed to this report.