ARLINGTON — Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, plans to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinal between France and Spain on Tuesday at his team’s stadium in Arlington, Texas. The match marks a notable shift for Jones, who has been absent during previous high-profile World Cup games at the venue despite his deep involvement in preparing the stadium for the tournament.

Jones turned stadium operational control over to FIFA for the duration of the World Cup, a move that included relinquishing his personal suite at the 50-yard line. That suite has been designated by FIFA as a VIP area for the semifinal. Instead, Jones will occupy a different suite during the France vs.

Spain match, according to team executives. The semifinal is scheduled early enough in the day that the setting sun will not interfere with play—a factor that has influenced stadium operations during NFL games but required special accommodation for earlier World Cup fixtures.

The Cowboys’ home stadium, temporarily renamed Dallas Stadium for the World Cup, hosted nine tournament matches—the most of any venue in the competition. This includes marquee moments such as Lionel Messi’s record-setting performances, Cristiano Ronaldo’s final World Cup game, and Japanese fans famously cleaning entire seating sections after matches. Jones was not present in person for any of those earlier events, often departing the country on his yacht between the end of Cowboys offseason workouts in June and the start of training camp in California in late July.

Despite his usual summer absence, Jones remained deeply engaged in World Cup preparations. The Dallas Cowboys invested an additional $350 million to ready the stadium, which originally cost $1.2 billion and opened in 2009. Upgrades included enhancements to the video board infrastructure, new carpeting and furniture in premium areas, and a complete overhaul of the fan shop.

The stadium features a giant video board suspended above the center of the field under a retractable roof and includes large standing-room viewing areas on three levels at each end. Anish Kapoor’s stainless steel sculpture, dubbed “sky mirror,” sits on the east plaza outside the venue; Kapoor also created the well-known “bean” sculpture in Chicago.

FIFA installed curtains on the huge sliding glass doors on the west end of the stadium for one World Cup match where the setting sun could have shined into players’ eyes. Jones has long refused to install such curtains for NFL games, expecting coaches and players to adjust their game plans to account for the natural light. Yet for the World Cup, operational decisions—including the curtain installation and suite reassignments—were made under FIFA’s authority after Jones ceded control of the venue.

Chad Estis, Cowboys executive vice president of business operations, described Jones as deeply invested in the stadium’s role in the tournament. “I think first and foremost, he’s just a big event guy,” Estis said. “He loves the NFL.

He loves the Dallas Cowboys. But he has a passion for events as much as anybody that I know. He very much wanted to ensure that the stadium was operating well.” Estis recalled the moment Jones agreed to give up his suite: “We're like, ‘Wait a minute. Are you serious?’ I mean, I understand it. That's why Jerry's suite is there. It's the prime spot.”

Estis added that Jones’s personal involvement extended to the stadium’s aesthetics and fan experience. “To see him in design meetings and his attention to detail and his care for what the stadium looked and felt like to people, what it looked like from different angles walking up to it. He just he was so involved in the creation of what it is,” he said.

Estis noted the venue’s enduring appeal: “I cannot tell you how many people come to our stadium and say, ‘I can’t believe this is 17 years old.’ People think it feels new. The whole thing’s been great, but it feels like it culminates in this phenomenal match tomorrow.” He also suggested the occasion might affect Jones emotionally: “I think I could imagine him being a little emotional about it.”

Dan Hunt, co-chair of the local organizing committee for the World Cup and son of former Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, praised Jones’s legacy. “He’s been a world champion. He’s a Pro Football Hall of Famer.

He’s hosted Super Bowls, hosted almost everything you can … And this is just another moment,” Hunt said. He called the semifinal “just another great moment in an unbelievable sports legacy.” The stadium previously hosted a Super Bowl and NCAA championship games in football and men’s basketball within five years of opening.

Jones’s attendance at the semifinal underscores the significance of the World Cup’s presence in a stadium primarily associated with American football. His willingness to cede operational control, surrender his signature suite, and invest hundreds of millions of dollars reflects a broader embrace of international soccer at a venue that has historically centered on NFL and college football events. The France-Spain match is one of two semifinals in the tournament, with the other hosted at the home of the Atlanta Falcons, highlighting the shared role of U.S. stadiums in the 2026 World Cup.

The Cowboys’ stadium has served as a proving ground for global soccer in a non-traditional market, drawing record crowds and international attention. Jones’s shift from absence to presence for the tournament’s penultimate match in Arlington signals both personal investment and institutional validation of soccer’s growing footprint in American sports culture.