{"id":501616,"date":"2026-01-08T15:37:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T15:37:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/501616\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T15:37:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T15:37:12","slug":"fort-worth-sports-events-2026-highlights-and-schedule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/501616\/","title":{"rendered":"Fort Worth Sports Events 2026 Highlights and Schedule"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fort Worth\u2019s stature on the worldwide sports stage is taller than ever in 2026 as Tarrant County prepares to host a stacked schedule of prestigious international and national competitions. Global championships like the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament and FEI World Cup Finals Jumping & Dressage will bring in hundreds of thousands of visitors to North Texas. But the World Cups are just the beginning. From racecar drivers and rodeo riders to college basketball stars and karate blackbelts \u2014 the best of the best will converge in the 817 this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is our moment,\u201d says Drew Hays, the new executive director of the Fort Worth Sports Commission. \u201cThis is our biggest event lineup ever, and anything we can do to elevate the experience for the athletes and the fans attending, we\u2019re going to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The year may have just arrived, but the city has been preparing for months. Being proactive is key to Hays\u2019 strategy: working out all the little details long before showtime arrives, from arranging hotel welcomes to lining up restaurants for team dinners. \u201cThere are tons of meetings with our venues, our hotels, our other external partners, and there\u2019s a ton of meetings internally that go on too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Newly formed city committees have been tackling infrastructure and transportation issues, and marketing initiatives are connecting with domestic and international media outlets to spread the word about Fort Worth. \u201cIf we\u2019re doing the things proactively, by the time we get to event week, that should be the easiest part of the execution,\u201d Hays says. \u201cKnock on wood.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Fort Worth Sports Commission projects that this year\u2019s biddable events will garner over $88 million in direct spending \u2014 and that doesn\u2019t include any annual legacy events like the National Cutting Horse Association\u2019s Triple Crown. A sizable chunk will no doubt be generated from the biggest event ever to take place in North Texas, the FIFA World Cup 2026.<\/p>\n

Fresh venues, upgraded infrastructure, cinematic visibility, and a surging creative scene have propelled Fort Worth into the spotlight for event planners and promoters. But it\u2019s the city\u2019s Western heritage and genuine hospitality that set it apart. \u201cWe offer that authentic Texas experience that international visitors want,\u201d says Hays. Travelers will discover the Texas of their imagination in our hometown, with cowboys and cowgirls, cattle drives, rodeos, big hats, and barbecue. They\u2019ll also encounter the city\u2019s most valuable asset: us.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes Fort Worth so great is our people,\u201d he says. \u201cWe can\u2019t do any of these events without a welcoming community.\u201d Having just moved to the city last year, Hays speaks from experience. \u201cWhen I first showed up to Fort Worth, I felt that warmth and hospitality. So I know when travelers come here, they\u2019ll feel it as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Visiting sports fans may forget the final score, they may forget the stats \u2014 but they will never forget the way we made them feel. Or our barbecue. And we\u2019d better crank up those smokers, because three World Cups are headed our way.<\/p>\n

THE WORLD CUPS ARE COMING<\/p>\n

The biggest event on the planet descends on DFW\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Held every four years, the FIFA World Cup tournament crowns the ultimate champion in men\u2019s soccer (aka football, f\u00fatbol, or footy) and has an unparalleled cross-cultural impact. The World Cup is the most-watched event on Earth, with tens of billions of viewers tuning in for the series of 104 games.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And for the first time in history, FIFA (F\u00e9d\u00e9ration Internationale de Football Association) has selected three World Cup host countries: the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. It\u2019s the largest footprint ever for the competition, which runs from June 11 to July 19 with 48 teams competing in 16 different cities: Dallas\/Arlington, Atlanta, Boston, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Monterrey, New York\/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, and Vancouver.<\/p>\n

AT&T Stadium (to be temporarily renamed Dallas Stadium) will stage nine matches, including one semifinal on July 14, the game held in Arlington. MetLife Stadium in New York\/New Jersey will host the final match on July 19. Dallas will also be home to the World Cup\u2019s International Broadcast Center, turning Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center into a massive media hub for thousands of media professionals from over 150 countries.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Much more than a sports tournament, the World Cup is a global celebration that showcases the music, cultures, and traditions of participating countries. Part of the fun is cheering alongside the proud and passionate fans who have traveled from around the world to support their teams.<\/p>\n

According to the North Texas Organizing Committee, more than 100,000 travelers will pour into the DFW metroplex for each match. But it\u2019s unclear how the crowds will affect Fort Worth. \u201cWe all know it’s going to be big, but how big?\u201d asks Hays. \u201cWe don’t know if this is going to be nine straight Super Bowls or if this is going to be just a normal day in Fort Worth.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

TCU will also serve as a basecamp for one of the four national teams based in North Texas.<\/p>\n

In addition to the games in Arlington, you can expect a slew of watch parties, fan zones, and other special initiatives in Fort Worth. But most of the details are still up in the air, says Hays. \u201cAs we get closer to June and July, there are plans you’ll hear about that we\u2019ve been working on forever.\u201d Whether you have kids who play soccer, you\u2019re an ardent Arsenal fan, or you\u2019re simply curious about the much-loved sport, there\u2019s never been a better year to get swept up in the world\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

FEI WORLD\u00a0CUP\u00a0FINALS\u00a0JUMPING\u00a0& DRESSAGE<\/strong><\/p>\n

April 8-12 at Dickies Arena<\/strong><\/p>\n

The fine art of elite equestrianism<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve seen horses trot, gallop, and buck cowboys off their backs \u2014 but have you seen them dance? On April 8 through 12, Dickies Arena will host the vaunted FEI World Cup Finals Jumping & Dressage, the global championship and the highest level of horse-and-rider performances you\u2019ll see anywhere.\u00a0<\/p>\n

FEI stands for F\u00e9d\u00e9ration \u00c9questre Internationale, which is the governing body of equestrian sports, the counterpart of the PRCA in rodeo. And like the rodeo, FEI has multiple disciplines, including cross-country outdoor racing and equestrian vaulting (gymnastics on horseback). But the two preeminent FEI sports are show jumping and dressage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Show jumping pits the horse and rider against an obstacle course of 5-foot-tall fences and tight angles; prizewinners must be fast and flawless. Knock down a single rail, and you could lose it all. In dressage, riders guide their horses through a sophisticated series of maneuvers, such as side-stepping, 360-degree turns, and rhythmic trotting in place. With plenty of prancing and gliding going on, dressage is known as the ballet of the equestrian world. Both sports exhibit the near-telepathic communication between the horse-rider duo and their formidable grace and athleticism.<\/p>\n

Local spectators accustomed to rodeos will encounter a different breed of sport at the FEI World Cup. Dickies Arena won\u2019t require a black-tie dress code like Toronto\u2019s Coca-Cola Coliseum does, but the vibe will feel noticeably more serious and proper \u2014 more like a golf tournament or opera than a rodeo.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be a unique event,\u201d says Matt Homan, president and general manager of Dickies Arena. Unlike rodeo competitions at Dickies, such as the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo<\/a>, FEI sports require synthetic turf flooring. \u201cIt won’t be a dirt floor, and that’s something that’ll be new. And I don’t know if people are ready for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The opening of Dickies Arena in 2019 has driven significant economic growth in the city, with more than 1.1 million people now walking through its doors every year. \u201cThe way that the city has supported coming to events at Dickies Arena has catapulted us to getting some of these big-name events that we have coming up,\u201d says Homan. The FEI World Cup is certainly a big name. Top riders from Europe, Australia, the Middle East, and North America will descend on Fort Worth to vie for the world crown, a career-defining achievement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s such a big international event that we’ll see a lot of people coming in from out of town and hopefully taking up lots of hotel rooms and restaurant reservations,\u201d Homan says. More than 60,000 fans and journalists will arrive in the city for the show.<\/p>\n

Keep an eye on the athletes; you\u2019ll see many of them in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. \u201cTo get the pinnacle of the sport competing in our backyard at Dickies Arena is just an awesome win, not only for Dickies, but also for the city,\u201d says Homan. \u201cIt’s just another chance for us to put Fort Worth on that global stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

PBR WORLD FINALS<\/p>\n

MAY 10-17 at COWTOWN COLISEUM & DICKIES ARENA<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bull riding at its best<\/p>\n

The bravest bull riders and the baddest beasts around return to Fort Worth this year for the PBR World Finals on May 10-17, with the first four days at Cowtown Coliseum and the last four at Dickies Arena. This showstopping spectacle of man vs. bull offers rock concert-style intensity with raucous music, pulsing lights, and an electrified audience that loves every minute of it. The two venues give PBR fans the best of both worlds: gritty, old-school rodeo energy at the Coliseum and high-tech, arena-scale drama at Dickies.<\/p>\n

FIERCE FEMALES (WOMEN STEP INTOTHE SPOTLIGHT)<\/p>\n

High-stakes college basketball & gymnastics \u2014 plus a cheerleader blitz\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dickies Arena continues its starring role with the NCAA Women\u2019s Basketball Super Regionals, which brings the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 rounds to Fort Worth for the first time ever this March. It will be the final stop this season for the top two teams before they travel to Phoenix for the Final Four. \u201cAnytime you get to host an NCAA Champion or NCAA event, it’s something that’s special to the community. It jars a lot of memories,\u201d says Homan. \u201cWe’re going to get a great mix of teams coming in, and hopefully we’ll see a couple of Texas teams in there, maybe TCU.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The NCAA Women\u2019s Gymnastics Championship will also return to Dickies Arena in March, delivering gravity-defying flips and twists from the best gymnasts in America \u2014 who are also the best on the planet. Watch Olympic-caliber athletes perform in a fast-paced contest with four sports: balance beam, uneven bars, vault, and floor exercise. Every tenth of a point matters, keeping the tumblers on their toes and the spectators on the edge of their seats. If you catch yourself holding your breath, you\u2019re not alone.<\/p>\n

You can also see backflips in January when three cheerleading championships kick off Fort Worth\u2019s banner year, including two national trophies. These ladies don\u2019t just shake pom-poms and shout go-team-go; they are absolute athletes, acrobats, and stuntwomen (with a few men mixed in, too).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

NCAA Women\u2019s Basketball Super Regionals<\/strong><\/p>\n