Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is set to install blackout curtains at AT&T Stadium to block out the sun during World Cup games – a move which has sparked fury amongst his team’s fans.
The 80,000-seat stadium in Arlington, Texas, will be hosting five group-stage and four knockout matches at this summer’s international soccer tournament, including a semi-final fixture in July.
Temperatures in the city could reach sweltering average highs of 90 degrees or more during the tournament, with officials warning that extreme heat could threaten fans, workers and officials as well as the players themselves.
Yet according to Margaret Fleming of Front Office Sports, Jones, 83, has agreed to have blackout curtains installed at the stadium in order to combat the searing conditions.
A FIFA spokesperson reportedly confirmed that the sun will be blocked at AT&T for one of the nine of the World Cup games played there this summer, which is an early-evening kickoff.
Sunlight notoriously shines through the west-facing windows of the stadium in the early evening, meaning curtains will be required to block it out when Japan face Sweden at 6pm CT on June 25.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is installing blackout curtains at AT&T Stadium for the World Cup
Jones has agreed to use curtains to block out the sun during World Cup games at the arena
The sunlight issue has become a controversial subject after affecting several Cowboys games over the years, with wide receiver George Pickens saying after a Thanksgiving win over the Kansas City Chiefs that he missed a crucial catch because he couldn’t see the ball.
Another Dallas receiver, CeeDee Lamb, said the same when he missed a wide-open touchdown grab in a 2024 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Jones signing off on curtains for the World Cup has come as a frustration to Cowboys players and fans, given he has defiantly refused to install them in the past.
When asked about putting curtains up after Lamb’s drop in 2024, the billionaire said: ‘By the way, we know where the sun is going to be when we flip the coin, so we do know where the damn sun is going to be in our own stadium. Let’s just tear the damn stadium down and build another one. Are you kidding me?’
‘Everybody has got the same thing,’ Jones added. ‘Every team that comes in here has the same issues. They know where the sun is going to be. I’m saying, the world knows where the sun is. You get to know that almost a year in advance. Someone asked me about the sun. What about the sun? Where’s the moon?’
Jones has also agreed to install a temporary grass field over the artificial turf at AT&T Stadium for the World Cup, despite refusing to do the same for the Cowboys. Lamb recently pleaded for grass to be used at the arena going forward in a message on Instagram.
However, FIFA requires natural grass at all of its soccer stadiums, a rule which is not in effect in the NFL.
That and the issue of the curtains has not stopped Cowboys fans from taking aim at Jones on social media, including one who wrote: ‘So Jerry will install grass and use curtains for the World Cup, but will NOT do the same for his own players and Cowboys fans. What a stubborn a-hole.’
Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb once blamed a big error on sunlight shining through the stadium
‘He can do that for the World Cup, but not for the team he owns,’ said another.
Sky Sports NFL presenter Neil Reynolds also weighed in on the issue and posted: ‘I’ve been asking for a giant pair of curtains in Dallas for years. Let’s hope they keep the sun blocked for the NFL season as well.’
A Cowboys fan responded: ‘Curtains have been there for ages, Jerry just likes to be weird and in the lime light’.
AT&T Stadium has used curtains for non-football events in the past, including for the Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson boxing match in November 2024.
The first World Cup game at AT&T Stadium will see Japan take on Holland at 3pm CT on June 14, before England face Croatia there at the same time three days later.
Argentina vs Austria is scheduled for 12pm on June 22, with the early-evening Japan vs Sweden game on June 25.
The final group game at AT&T Stadium sees Argentina lock horns with Jordan at the later time of 9pm.
