AT&T Stadium

• 1. Introduction

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  AT&T Stadium's first NFL regular-season game ended with Eli Manning writing on the visitor's locker room wall: "First win in the New Stadium." The crowd that afternoon in Arlington, Texas, numbered 105,121. That figure set an NFL record for a regular-season game, at a stadium with an official capacity of 80,000. The gap between those two numbers captures something essential about the place. What turned a stadium in the Dallas suburbs into a venue for world records? How did its billion-dollar design create problems that appeared before the first regular season? And what happens when a building becomes so famous it earns a nickname before it has an official name? Former President George W. Bush flipped the opening coin toss that day. Lawrence Tynes kicked a last-second field goal, sending those record crowds home. Jerry Jones had been planning such a venue since at least 1994, when he first proposed replacing the existing Texas Stadium in Irving.

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• 2. Ambition at Any Cost

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  Bryan Trubey of HKS Architects was the lead designer for the project. He described the vision as one that "should not be just a stadium, but should almost be built like a civic structure." The original construction estimate stood at $650 million. The final cost reached $1.15 billion. Arlington voters approved a 0.5% increase in the city's sales tax to help fund the project. They also voted for a 2% rise in the hotel occupancy tax and a 5% hike in car rental taxes. The City of Arlington provided over $325 million in bonds. The NFL loaned the Cowboys an additional $150 million. Jerry Jones personally covered any cost overruns.

  In November 2005, the city began demolishing homes it had seized from residents who refused to sell. One displaced homeowner described the negotiation as "giving me pennies and telling me to get out." By January 2006, Tarrant County crews had demolished more than 150 residences and small-business structures to clear the construction site. The city still faced a number of lawsuits over the land acquisitions.

  A pair of nearly 300 ft-tall arches spans the full length of the stadium dome, each anchored to the ground at either end. The retractable roof was engineered by Walter P Moore, with mechanization systems installed by Uni-Systems. Jerry Jones unveiled the full design on the 12th of December 2006. The roof was shown to echo the trademark open-hole look of the old Texas Stadium, though it could be fully closed against the elements. At the time of its installation, the center-hung Mitsubishi video display was the largest high-definition screen in the world. The stadium was completed on the 27th of May 2009. A ribbon-cutting ceremony included former Cowboys players Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin. Within months, the venue that had no official name would be hosting record crowds.

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• 3. Jerry World

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  Fans settled on a name of their own before Jerry Jones had announced one. "Jerry World" was the most popular choice, a direct reference to the Cowboys owner who had spent years pushing the project forward. Other nicknames spread as well. Bob Costas used the phrase "The Palace in Dallas," which drew criticism for Costas from the Arlington mayor. "Cowboys Cathedral" and "Jerrassic Park" were also coined. A petition circulated to name the stadium after longtime Cowboys coach Tom Landry.

  On the 13th of May 2009, Jones announced the official name: Cowboys Stadium. The venue held that name for just over four years. On the 25th of July 2013, Jones announced a naming rights deal with AT&T, and Cowboys Stadium became AT&T Stadium immediately.

  Facility Solutions Group installed the AT&T lettering on the stadium's exterior. Each set of letters stands 43 feet tall, and the two groupings stretch a combined 385 feet. The letters are insulated and heated to melt ice and snow. The deal was reported to be worth about $17 to 19 million per year. AT&T holds naming rights to one other major sports venue: Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. When the name changed, the informal nickname that fans had used since before the venue opened remained in common circulation: Jerry World.

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• 4. Records in Every Direction

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  On the 14th of February 2010, the stadium hosted the NBA All-Star Game with an announced crowd of 108,713. Guinness World Records certified that game as the highest-attended basketball game in history. The East squad defeated the West 141-139. The twin video screens on the scoreboard measure 175 feet each. For basketball events, the scoreboard is actually wider than the court below it.

  Manny Pacquiao fought at the stadium twice in less than a year. On the 13th of March 2010, he defeated Joshua Clottey by unanimous decision before 50,994 fans. Eight months later, on the 13th of November 2010, Pacquiao defeated Antonio Margarito before 41,734 people. That second victory made him the first fighter in history to win world titles in eight different weight classes.

  On the 8th of May 2021, before a crowd of 73,126, Canelo Alvarez defeated Billy Joe Saunders by eighth-round corner retirement. Alvarez unified the WBA, WBC, and WBO super-middleweight titles with that win. The crowd set the all-time attendance record for a boxing event at an indoor venue in the United States.

  WWE's WrestleMania 32 arrived on the 3rd of April 2016, with 101,763 fans in attendance, breaking the previous WrestleMania attendance record. It was the third WrestleMania held in Texas. Six years later, WrestleMania 38 drew 131,372 people across two nights on April 2 and 3, 2022.

  George Strait's farewell concert on the 7th of June 2014 drew 104,793 fans and generated over $18 million in revenue. Fellow country stars including Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, and Alan Jackson joined Strait for what was billed as his last show ever. Taylor Swift's Eras Tour dates in late March and early April 2023 drew 210,607 people over three consecutive nights. Swift became the first artist to perform and sell out three straight nights at the venue.

  On the 5th of November 2024-72,300 fans watched boxer Jake Paul defeat former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson by unanimous decision. The bout streamed on Netflix, drawing 65 million concurrent viewers worldwide.

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• 5. Designed-In Problems

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  Tennessee Titans punter A. J. Trapasso struck the video board with a punt on the 21st of August 2009, during the Cowboys' first preseason home game. By rule, the play was replayed. Jerry Jones suggested Trapasso had tried to hit the board on purpose. Jones said: "unless you're trying to hit the scoreboard, you punt the ball to get downfield." Trapasso disputed that claim. Other NFL punters argued that longer hang-time kicks could hit the screen regardless of intent.

  Physicist Christopher Moore of Longwood University ran computer simulations showing that well-struck punts could hit the screen from any position on the field. On the 24th of August 2013, Cowboys punter Chris Jones hit the scoreboard during a preseason game and conceded a touchdown on the rekick. He was the second player to do so. Bryan Anger and Jake Camarda have also made contact with the board in regular-season games.

  AT&T Stadium was built on an east-west axis, an orientation uncommon among NFL venues, with large glass windows installed behind both end zones. During Cowboys games starting between 3:05 and 3:25 p.m. Central on Sundays, the setting sun shines through the west-end windows. The glare falls directly onto the field. In a 2024 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb appeared to miss a potential touchdown pass due to the glare. He said afterwards: "I couldn't see the ball. Couldn't see the ball, at all. The sun." Jerry Jones was asked whether the stadium's curtains could be closed during games. The curtains are used for other events but never for Cowboys games. Jones replied: "Well, let's just tear the damn stadium down and build another one?" The day after Lamb's comments, the stadium jury-rigged a shade for head coach Mike McCarthy's press conference. Sunlight was shining directly into his eyes.

  The video board can support up to 370,000 pounds of concert and theatrical rigging, serving as the central attachment point for large-scale productions across the stadium.

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• 6. Nine Matches for the World

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  AT&T Stadium will host nine matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the most of any venue in the tournament. The competition spans the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and the stadium is one of 11 American sites selected as a host venue. NRG Stadium in Houston is the only other Texas location in the group.

  FIFA's rules require venues with corporate naming deals to operate under neutral names during the tournament. AT&T Stadium will therefore be known as Dallas Stadium throughout the 2026 competition. The stadium will undergo renovations in the years before the tournament begins. The nine-match schedule includes five group stage games, two Round of 32 matches, one Round of 16 match, and a semifinal. The first match arrives on the 14th of June 2026. The semifinal is set for the 14th of July 2026, giving the stadium a full month of World Cup football.

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