It’s a historic day for the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
On top of breaking ground on a $3 billion plan to redevelop and renovate the 65-year-old building and its surrounding area, the venue will also likely play host to FIFA’s International Broadcast Center for the 2026 World Cup.
The announcement was made at a City Council meeting Wednesday. An amendment to authorize negotiations between Global Spectrum LP, the operator of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, and FIFA to place the International Broadcast Center between Jan. 14, 2026 to the end of August 2026 was unanimously approved. It’s a key step in landing it.
The International Broadcast Center will be a temporary home for television and radio reporters during the World Cup and will reel in tens of thousands of international visitors to downtown Dallas before and after games are played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
To make it happen, FIFA has some requirements, including fixing the building’s roof, which city representatives lamented as “being held together by diapers.” The total cost will be $500,000, but it’s worth every penny for the World Cup and beyond, said Rosa Fleming, director of convention and event services for the city of Dallas.
“This doesn’t just benefit FIFA, this benefits other clients,” she said. “It’s not a full repair of the entire roof of the building. It was already a planned repair in the five-year forecast.”
It would be the Dallas Sports Commission’s latest victory after becoming the recipient of nine World Cup matches including a semifinal. Arlington will host more games in the tournament than any other city.
Dallas will still play an important role in the lead-up to and during the World Cup even though the event is being hosted in Arlington. The city’s hotels will be the temporary home for reporters, tourists and more. With the International Broadcasting Center, it opens up a new avenue of opportunities for the city, said Monica Paul, executive director of the Dallas Sports Commission.
“I think there’s a lot of community engagement opportunities. You’re looking at 15,000 people who will make Dallas home for months.” she said. “It’s an additional opportunity to show these broadcasters why we love Dallas.”
On top of getting Dallas some international prestige, the city will be looking to integrate local school districts, parks and recreation, local soccer clubs and much more to get involved with soccer ahead of the World Cup, she said.
“There’s some possible opportunity in integrating our young kids who are interested in broadcasting and media,” she said. “We have various committees that are starting, like our Legacy Committee, to try to figure out how we integrate our local soccer teams.”
It’s the next step to taking Dallas to an international level of recognition, said Jesse Moreno, City Council member who represents District 2.
“Dallas has always been on the map, but you’ve taken us to the next level,” he said of Paul and Fleming. “This is a very wise investment that we’re doing. The Dallas skyline is going to be shown to the entire world.”
FIFA is expected to make its own announcement later this summer.
