Tens of thousands of international visitors will descend upon AT&T Stadium this weekend when one of the world’s biggest soccer tournaments, Copa America, kicks off in Arlington.
Ahead of the tournament, Arlington’s local businesses are gearing up for what could be one of the biggest tests and busiest times of the year. Restaurants, hotels and the area are looking to earn a massive payday from the event.
AT&T Stadium will host a game between Peru and Chile at 7:00 p.m. Friday and another game pitting the United States against Bolivia at 5:00 p.m. Sunday. It’s the first time the stadium has hosted a Copa America game and it’s expected to draw a total of 150,000 visitors to Arlington, according to Arlington’s Economic Development Department.
It’s another opportunity for North Texas to be in the international spotlight after the Dallas Mavericks recently came up short in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. Of those 150,000 Arlington visitors, between 30% to 40% of them are expected to be international tourists, said Gus Garcia, director for Arlington’s economic development department.
“This increases our presence across the globe. Tourists are going to be expecting amazing venues, hotels, entertainment and our job is to provide that,” Garcia said. “What I think this really does is bring international dollars into local cash registers.”
Cafe Americana, a Spanish restaurant that fuses foods from all over Latin America and the Caribbean, could benefit more than most. Weekends are already extremely busy at the lively eatery. But Copa America is expected to add an extra $4,000 to the restaurant each night this weekend.
With so many international visitors, owner and chef Mouhssine Benhamacht didn’t want them to feel like they were too far from home. So he’s prepared at least one dish and drink from Bolivia, Chile and Peru.
Benhamacht and Cafe Americana will be preparing a lomo saltado steak stir fry from Peru, a beef, potato and carrot empanada from Bolivia and salmon and shrimp from Chile, among other dishes. The items may one day find their way to Cafe Americana’s permanent menu if they’re successful enough, Benhamacht said.
“We wanted to do food that was approachable but still classic cuisine. We didn’t want anything that would be too hardcore for our U.S. customers too,” Benhamacht said. “We want to emphasize that we’re not a traditional restaurant in Arlington. We’re an international restaurant and there’s an international event that’s coming here. It really resonates with our identity.”
The area’s biggest players, like Loews Hotels, are seeing an influx of tourists this weekend. The New York-based upscale hotel chain opened the Loews Arlington Hotel on February 13 and with that, the company has a room count of 1,188.
Both hotels are about 10 minutes walking from AT&T Stadium, making them “ideal accommodations” for tournament officials, media, players and fans, said Lisa Garland, area director of public relations for Loews.
Copa America will also serve as a practice round for Arlington as it prepares to host nine World Cup matches in 2026, the most of any city.
Though the Dallas Sports Commission declined an interview request or to share the economic impact of Copa America, the commission’s executive director Monica Paul will be watching the logistics of the event closely.
“With FIFA World Cup 2026 less than two years away, [the] Dallas Sports Commission is closely watching and learning as AT&T Stadium hosts Copa America,” Paul said. “It proves a terrific opportunity for the region in preparation for nine FIFA World Cup matches, and we wish Copa America tremendous success.”
Arlington’s public transportation has been a contentious issue for residents and tourists in the past. But it’s not something the city is worrying about ahead of Copa America, Garcia said.
Instead, the city is using the event as a way to test what foot traffic may end up looking like for the World Cup and how Arlington can prepare for the event.
“Believe it or not, I think we’ve done a phenomenal job of organizing traffic. So I don’t see that as being a problem,” he said. “This is going to give us first-hand knowledge to ask ourselves ‘What did we do wrong and right? Where can we get better?’ But I think we’re going to be alright. We’re ready for an event like this.”
