Dallas is lone finalist for FIFA World Cup International Broadcast Center
DALLAS - Dallas is the lone finalist for the FIFA World Cup International Broadcast Center.
The deal would result in thousands of journalists from all over the world calling Dallas home for several weeks.
The last time the World Cup was in the United States, Dallas was also the site of the IBC.
Aside from hosting nine FIFA World Cup matches, including the semifinal round, Dallas is one vote away from being the site of the International Broadcast Center.
Next Monday, a Dallas City Council committee will recommend a plan to spend $15 million to make the deal happen.
The IBC would be at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Downtown Dallas.
If approved next week, FIFA would enter an eight-month contract that starts January 2026.
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Thousands of international journalists will call Dallas home for several weeks. It comes at a time when the city will be building a new convention center.
The convention center is in Councilman Jesse Moreno's district.
"They are going to be going out to our restaurants, our small mom and pop restaurants, our hole in the walls," Moreno said. "They're going to be staying in our hotels. They're going to be visiting the Farmer's Market. They're going to be going to Deep Ellum, the Cedars."
The new convention center is expected to be completed in 2028.
Moreno said the funds are to keep the existing convention center open for events beyond the World Cup.
While millions are being invested, according to FIFA estimates, the return estimates are huge.
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"The numbers that came back is $2 billion," Monica Paul with the Dallas Sports Commission told council. "$2 billion in overall impact for the region."
Moreno said some things in preparation for the new convention center are already in the works.
"There is infrastructure work that is being done currently," he told council. "We're moving water lines. We're about to move rail lines to prepare for the World Cup and the convention center."
Moreno wants Dallas residents to know that convention center funds come from a hotel tax and can only be spent on convention center projects.
"Once these visitors leave Dallas, we will have that revenue to be able to reinvest into our parks, our libraries, our police, our public safety, our streets," he said.
Local and minority businesses will be able to bid for contracts with the new convention center.
Paul told council members there are ongoing talks about security for the IBC since it will be a 24/7 operation for multiple weeks.