Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, stated on Tuesday that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will deliver a major cash infusion to small businesses in North Texas, framing the tournament as a once-in-a-generation opportunity for restaurants, hotels, and retailers in his district as the games approach this summer.
Williams, chair of the House Committee on Small Business, appeared on “Ed Henry The Big Take” a day after he and Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, hosted a roundtable with stakeholders in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.
Williams told viewers that the session, which he described as taking place in Fort Worth, brought entrepreneurs to plan for the tournament’s local impact.
He cast the World Cup as a source of fresh revenue for businesses.
“FIFA, in business terms, is extra income. This is money that’s going to come in. We hadn’t been here before. Small business is going to benefit from it. Restaurants, you name it, everybody,” Williams said.
He added that visitors who like what they see in Texas might “buy a piece of land here” or invest, predicting “a return on investment.”
Texas is set to host more World Cup matches than any other U.S. state.
AT&T Stadium in Arlington, branded “Dallas Stadium” for the tournament, will host nine games — the most of any of the 16 venues, including five group-stage matches, two Round of 32 fixtures, a Round of 16 game, and a July 14 semifinal.
NRG Stadium in Houston, rebranded “Houston Stadium,” will host seven matches, including a Round of 16 game on July 4.
The tournament runs from June 11 to July 19 across 16 host cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The opener is set for June 11 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, with Texas matches beginning June 14.
Modeling by Oxford Economics has produced figures in that range for total U.S. economic activity tied to the tournament, though recent reporting flags risks to those projections, with hotel bookings in U.S. host cities running well below early forecasts.
The U.S. Travel Association has separately estimated about $5 billion in direct economic benefit.
The Dallas Sports Commission has projected the World Cup will produce more than $400 million in regional economic impact for Dallas-Fort Worth and create more than 3,000 temporary jobs — an estimate the commission has signaled it is revisiting upward after the region was awarded nine matches instead of four.
Williams tied the tournament to a broader summer of national attention. The country will mark its 250th anniversary on July 4 with yearlong semiquincentennial events culminating that week.
“We’ll spend money, and you know, it’s soccer, a great game. And we’re going to see what happens. But we’re going to get a return on investment,” he said.
