The 2026 World Cup is over and the debate between fútbol and football can commence.
The tournament, which was won by Spain on Sunday, July 19, was hosted at 16 stadiums across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The venues in the U.S. were NFL stadiums that transformed this summer to follow FIFA regulations. This included swapping out artificial turf for natural grass and removing sponsorship branding.
Some stadiums made a big deal out of returning to their NFL identity and shared the process with fans on social media.
Jerry Jones assisted in bringing AT&T Stadium back to life in a way that only he could.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium, SoFi Stadium and Levi’s Stadium also made sure fans knew that those venues were ready to rumble for football this fall.
A few stadiums chose not to promote their transformations. And Hard Rock Stadium and MetLife Stadium, which hosted the third-place and final matches, respectively, were still celebrating fútbol the day after the tournament’s conclusion.
Here’s how World Cup venues transformed back into NFL stadiums:
AT&T Stadium — Dallas Cowboys
Jerry Jones flew in a helicopter to take off the banner covering the AT&T logo at Jerry World.
“Football’s back!” he declared in a promotional video.
