Dallas Is About to Go Global: Why Advertisers Need to Act Now for World Cup 2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is no longer a far-off blip on the calendar. For media buyers, it’s already here. With AT&T Stadium in Arlington selected as one of the tournament’s premier venues, Dallas is poised to be a central player on the global advertising stage. And if the early activity is any indication, this will not be business as usual.
Local media reps have already started fielding inquiries about World Cup inventory. That’s over a year ahead of kickoff. In our decades of experience managing campaigns across every major media channel, this type of early demand signals one thing: the time to secure your place in the market is now.
Dallas Media Buying Enters the World Stage
The Dallas-Fort Worth media landscape is no stranger to big events. We’ve been through Super Bowls, Final Fours, national political conventions, and more. But the 2026 World Cup is different in scale, audience, and intensity. This isn’t just another high-profile event—it’s the most-watched sporting event in the world. It draws global audiences and local crowds alike, and that creates a rare blend of top-of-funnel reach and bottom-of-funnel opportunity for brands that plan accordingly.
Buyers should understand that media availability around this event will be fragmented across global, national, and hyper-local channels. NBCUniversal and Telemundo will anchor U.S. broadcast rights, but local TV, radio, out-of-home, print, digital, and experiential buys will be fiercely competitive. Inventory will be gobbled up not just by global sponsors but also by national brands and local players trying to ride the wave.
If you want in, being based in DFW gives you one advantage: proximity. As a Dallas-based media buying agency, we’re already seeing how regional sellers are prioritizing long-term partnerships and existing relationships. But even those relationships won’t hold much weight once space is gone.
What Inventory Will Disappear First
Local TV around game days will be scarce. Broadcast stations have limited flexibility during live sports windows, so packages will move fast. Spanish-language buys, particularly in a market like Dallas with a large Hispanic population, will be some of the first to go.
Out-of-home placements, especially near AT&T Stadium and in high-traffic corridors like I-30, I-35, and downtown Dallas, will also see accelerated demand. These placements not only serve locals but will reach an influx of international visitors, making them prime real estate.
Digital is already seeing its own pressures. Programmatic buyers should expect to pay a premium for sports-related contextual targeting and geofenced impressions around Dallas during the tournament window. Brands hoping to activate through CTV, streaming video, or audio will need to plan now or be priced out later.
Navigating the Clutter
With all eyes on the World Cup, there will be no shortage of advertisers trying to capitalize on the moment. But attention without strategy leads to waste. Smart advertisers will avoid generic “World Cup-themed” messaging and lean into their specific audience relevance.
The smartest plans will include:
A balanced mix of traditional and digital that reaches both local and traveling audiences
Creative tailored in-language, particularly for bilingual audiences in the DFW area
Pre-roll and mid-roll video units placed in advance through guaranteed deals, not just real-time bidding
Proximity-based OOH campaigns layered with mobile display to bridge awareness and engagement
As always, scale without focus is just noise. Brands need to ask not just where the impressions are, but where they matter.
World Cup 2026 Advertising Requires Long Lead Times
Every vendor wants in. And most of them are already locking in. From local TV affiliates to large-format OOH to hospitality-based experiential activations, the cycle is already underway.
Even for brands with no direct sports tie-in, there are ways to gain relevance. DFW will see a boom in event-based spending around hospitality, tourism, and local business. There will be official FIFA activations and plenty of adjacent opportunities that are unofficial but just as powerful. Our job as media buyers is to identify both.
If you’re coming into this with the mindset that you can book 30 days out, you’re already too late.
Acting with Intent in a Rare Moment
This tournament will stretch across multiple U.S. markets, but Dallas holds a unique position. It will host more matches than any other city, including a semifinal. That brings sustained exposure, extended visitor presence, and months of marketing opportunity.
For advertisers in Dallas and beyond, this is a generational media moment. It won’t come around again soon. If you want your brand to be part of the story, it starts now. Not next summer.
Our team at The Ward Group has been entrenched in Dallas media buying for nearly four decades. We’ve weathered every media cycle and every major event that’s passed through this market. This one is different. And we’re treating it that way.
If your brand wants a foothold in World Cup 2026 advertising, let’s talk strategy before the window closes.