Hundreds of soccer fans bundled up, many clad in the light blue and white of Argentina, to watch the final of the 2022 World Cup in Plano.
Legacy Hall provided a large screen viewing in an outdoor space that filled with fans on Sunday morning as Argentina defeated France on penalty kicks to win the title.
Cesar Davila of Frisco attended the watch party with his sister and friends and brought along a replica of the famed golden trophy awarded to the winner of the tournament held every four years.
Davila, a fan of Argentina, said he looks forward to the World Cup returning to North Texas when the event is played across Mexico, Canada and the U.S. in 2026.
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"Oh, it’s going to be great," Davila said. "It’s going to attract a lot of people, a lot of businesses and Americans are going to feel what soccer is all about, futbol!”
Monica Paul is the executive director of the Dallas Sports Commission.
Paul was part of a Dallas delegation in Qatar earlier this month to get a behind-the-scenes look at the set-up and operations for the World Cup.
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"It really gets me excited for what we have upcoming in 2026.”
Fair Park hosted the International Broadcast Center in 1994 and Dallas would like to do it again in 2026 along with multiple games at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
Paul said there are even larger aspirations for North Texas.
“Our goal at the end of the day is to be hosting a final in 2026,” Paul said.
Zheed Seyan watched the World Cup Final with ecstatic fans on the patio at Legacy Hall and said the thought of the event shifting to North America and North Texas in 2026 is exciting.
"To have it come here that’s going to be amazing," Seyan said. "It’s going to do wonders. Especially for Dallas, if it’s going to come somewhere it better be Dallas, right?”
