History on Display
Landmark Nelson Mandela exhibition to kick off in Dallas during World Cup
Mandela: The Official Exhibition will open at The African American Museum, Dallas on June 13.
The African American Museum in Dallas will capitalize on an expected influx of global tourists by hosting Mandela: The Official Exhibition, opening on June 13 to coincide with the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The exhibition will offer an attraction in Fair Park, which will also host a Fan Festival for the World Cup.
The World Cup will take place June 11-July 19 in locations throughout North America. Nine World Cup games will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington between June 14 and July 14.
Making its debut in Texas, Mandela: The Official Exhibition explores the life of late South African president Nelson Mandela, one of the world’s most recognizable champions of freedom and justice.
Mandela also had strong ties to soccer, embracing the sport as a tool for unity and hope in post-apartheid South Africa. From organizing matches while imprisoned to championing the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Mandela demonstrated how soccer could bridge deep divisions.
His appearance at the tournament’s closing match, when he donned South Africa’s national team jersey, became an enduring symbol of sport’s power to unite a nation and inspire the world. Mandela died in December 2013.
“Nelson Mandela devoted his life to justice and to the fight against apartheid, enduring 27 years in prison before becoming South Africa’s first democratically elected president,” said Lisa Brown Ross, president and CEO of the African American Museum, Dallas, in a statement. “This exhibition tells the full arc of his life and affirms the Museum’s role as a vital cultural destination for North Texas and for visitors from around the world.”
According to the release, the exhibition will span all four galleries and unfold through multisensory experiences, tracing Mandela’s extraordinary journey from his rural childhood in the Eastern Cape to his decades of resistance against apartheid and his election as South Africa’s first democratically elected president.
His journey to becoming the “Father of South Africa” and a globally revered figure is presented in personal and revealing ways. Through his own reflections and stories shared by his family and those who knew him best, visitors will see Mandela - respectfully called Madiba - in a new light. Madiba is his Thembu clan name and is used as a sign of respect and affection.
One gallery will be transformed into a fully immersive, multimedia environment that places visitors within defining chapters of Mandela’s life. Guests will encounter rarely seen films, photographs and personal artifacts on loan from the Mandela family, as well as museums and archives worldwide, illuminating the people, places and pivotal experiences that shaped one of the 20th century’s most remarkable leaders.
The exhibition will remain on display through November 1. Admission to the museum is free, and it is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 am-5 pm and Saturdays from 10 am-5 pm, with special summer hours to be announced. Free self-parking is available in nearby lots.
