"We'll be shut down all summer. But it's worth it." That's Stephen Jones, CEO of the Dallas Cowboys, explaining why the most financially ruthless franchise in American sports volunteered to host nine World Cup matches and make almost nothing from it.
FIFA is projected to pull in around $11 billion from this tournament. The NFL owners lending their stadiums get the rental fee — kept confidential — and bragging rights. Sponsorships, tickets, suites, merchandise, concessions, parking: all FIFA's. Every last dollar.
The bill before the ball even drops
Seven of the eleven NFL host stadiums had to be converted to natural grass, with underground irrigation and ventilation systems installed at considerable cost. The four domed venues — in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and Los Angeles — added LED grow lighting and are running air conditioning continuously to simulate a greenhouse indoors. Stadiums in Los Angeles and Kansas City ripped out concrete, field suites, and lower-bowl seating to meet FIFA's pitch dimensions.
Then there's the "clean site" policy. Every corporate logo, every bit of advertising not belonging to FIFA's official partners, must be concealed. Gillette Stadium is now called "Boston Stadium" for the duration. The Gillette name out front — gone. The Chiefs are forfeiting their entire summer concert schedule, which Mark Donovan called a record-breaking year for revenue in 2024. The Giants couldn't hold their NFL Draft party at MetLife. Jerry Jones can't even watch the matches from his own suite.
The Patriots are absorbing arguably the sharpest operational blow: three of their first four road games forced by the FIFA exclusive-use window, a relocated Monster Jam, a concert series running deep into October, and both the Patriots Hall of Fame and the team pro shop displaced for months.
So why did they say yes?
For seven of the eleven owners, there's at least a secondary commercial motive — they also own MLS franchises and are banking on a 1994-style surge in American soccer interest to drive attendance and TV numbers for their clubs. A World Cup bump is a real, documented phenomenon, and those owners have skin in the game beyond the summer.
For the rest, the honest answer is what Stephen Jones and Jerry Jones both said out loud: brand association and history. "They'll never be able to take away that we held those games in that stadium," Jerry Jones said. That's a sentiment, not a business case.
- FIFA keeps all ticket, sponsorship, suite, merchandise, concession, and parking revenue
- Rental fees paid to stadiums remain undisclosed
- 11 NFL stadiums are hosting; cities including Chicago, Washington, Denver, and Phoenix declined to bid
- Multiple owners privately acknowledged relief at not winning host status
The Cowboys are valued at $13 billion. They know what a good deal looks like. This isn't one — and Stephen Jones said so himself.
