World Cup Teams Set for DFW

(WBAP/KLIF) — WFAA News 8 — DALLAS — North Texas will host nine World Cup matches, more than any other venue, and we’re learning soon who will be coming to Dallas-Fort Worth.

What is “Dallas Stadium”?
Of the nine matches, five of them will be during the group stage. AT&T Stadium, which will be rebranded as “Dallas Stadium” for the World Cup, will host two matches from Group F (out of six total), two matches from Group J and one match from Group L. Once teams are drawn into their groups on Friday, we’ll get a clearer picture of what countries could be playing in North Texas next summer.

The exact match schedule will be released on Saturday morning, and WFAA will have live reaction once that match schedule is revealed.

Who is playing in Dallas-Fort Worth for the World Cup?
Here is a look at the Groups with games inside “Dallas Stadium”:

Group F

Netherlands
Japan
Tunisia
European playoff pathway B (Ukraine / Sweden / Poland / Albania)
Group J

Argentina
Austria
Algeria
Jordan
Group L

England
Croatia
Panama
Ghana
Where will USA play in the World Cup? Who is USA playing in the World Cup?
As a host nation, the United States was placed into Group D before the Final Draw even occurred. They will play two of their group stage matches in “Los Angeles Stadium” (SoFi Stadium) and one match in “Seattle Stadium” (Lumen Field).

Here are the United States’ opponents in Group D:

Australia
Paraguay
European playoff pathway C (Türkiye / Romania / Slovakia / Kosovo)
Where will Mexico play in the World Cup? Who is Mexico playing in the World Cup?
As a host nation, Mexico was placed into Group A before the Final Draw even occurred. They will play two of their group stage matches in “Mexico City Stadium” (Estadio Azteca) and one match in “Guadalajara Stadium” (Estadio Akron).

Here is the Mexico’s opponents in Group A:

South Korea
South Africa
European playoff pathway D (Denmark / North Macedonia / Czechia / Republic of Ireland)
Will USA or Mexico play in Dallas for the World Cup?
There is a possibility they can in the knockout stage, depending on where they finish in the group stage.

If USA wins their group, the path in the knockout stage would be the following:

Round of 32: San Francisco
Round of 16: Seattle
Quarterfinals: Los Angeles
Semifinals: Dallas
Final: New York
If the United States finishes second in their group, here is their Knockout Round path:

Round of 32: Dallas
Round of 16: Atlanta
Quarterfinals: Kansas City
Semifinals: Atlanta
Final: New York
Here is Mexico’s path if they win their group:

Round of 32: Mexico City
Round of 16: Mexico City
Quarterfinals: Miami
Semifinals: Atlanta
Final: New York
If Mexico finishes second in their group, here is their Knockout Round path:

Round of 32: Los Angeles
Round of 16: Houston
Quarterfinals: Boston
Semifinals: Dallas
Final: New York

So, the only ways USA and Mexico will play each other in the World Cup is if USA wins their group, Mexico finishes second in theirs, (or vise versa) and they both advance to the semifinal round. If USA wins their group and Mexico finishes second, they’d play in Dallas. If USA finishes second and Mexico wins theirs, then they’d meet in the semifinal in Atlanta.