Thirty-two years after Dallas last hosted FIFA World Cup action in 1994, the world's biggest sporting event returned to North Texas in spectacular fashion. On Sunday, June 14, a rainy morning gave way to blue skies and a packed Dallas Stadium as 69,285 fans witnessed what commentators later hailed as the best match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far: a dramatic 2-2 draw between Japan and the Netherlands in the Group F opener.
But the thrills didn't just happen on the pitch. Before the match, seas of orange-clad Dutch supporters transformed the Arlington Entertainment District into a global pep rally - complete with their famous Big Orange Bus. Afterwards, passionate Japanese fans who'd been waving bright blue bags in a frenzy during the game then used them to clean up trash before they left the stadium.
Just as memorable for local attendees was the first look at AT&T Stadium's World Cup makeover — complete with FIFA branding and its temporary tournament name, Dallas Stadium — along with a grass pitch that had been grown using specially installed technology.
Scroll through the gallery of 15 photos by talented Getty photographers, above, to relive the energy, emotion, color, and unforgettable moments from the 2026 FIFA World Cup opener in Dallas.
Then get fired up for Game 2 in Dallas: England vs. Croatia on Wednesday, June 17.
Netherlands v Japan: Group F - FIFA World Cup 2026
Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images
Japan fans cheer in the stands during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group F match between Netherlands and Japan at Dallas Stadium on June 14, 2026 in Arlington, Texas.
While the sport of pickleball was invented way back in the 1960s, it has exploded in popularity in the 2020s. It was only a matter of time before someone figured out a way to make a movie about the craze, and a comedy like the new Apple TV film The Dink provides the best way to honor and make fun of the divisive sport at the same time.
Dusty Boyd (Jake Johnson), aka The Hammer, is a former tennis phenom who’s now working as an instructor at a club owned by his dad, Chuck (Ed Harris). While the two don’t always see eye-to-eye, they have a mutual hatred for pickleball, which they have begrudgingly allowed on the property by giving it the worst court.
Dusty is hoping to stop all future pickleball expansion by winning a one-on-one grudge match, but when he injures his wrist, he’s given a prescription of pickleball as a form of rehab. Older women like Candace (Mary Steenburgen) are the only people he can find to play with, and despite his disdain for the sport, he soon falls prey to its low-key charms.
Directed by Josh Greenbaum (Will & Harper) and written by Sean Clements, the film is probably the best advertisement pickleball will ever have. Dusty’s introduction to the sport serves as a lighthearted tutorial for the uninitiated while still getting in some nice digs at its expense. The other players - Candace, Gail (Cleo King), and Judy (Lynn Marie Stewart) - are equally welcoming and critical of Dusty, who initially has trouble adjusting to the game’s different rules.
The film’s approach to the story is silly but never stupid. Dusty is a blowhard, but he’s also able to admit when he’s wrong, especially when Candace introduces him to multiple things he had never considered before. A long-standing feud between Dusty and Andy Roddick provides more than just a goofy cameo for the real-life tennis star. The film also pushes right to the edge of being over-the-top before pulling back, allowing it to keep a semblance of reality to it.
Clements’ story follows a tried-and-true formula, making the film very predictable but enjoyably so. Where it earns its comedy credentials is in its finer details, like Dusty’s love for his 1999 Buick LeSabre with under 200,000 miles on it, his trunk full of old VHS tapes, or his interactions with his assistant PJ (Aaron Chen), who manages to be the comic relief in an already funny film.
Johnson, probably best known for starring in the sitcom New Girl in the 2010s, has the right amount of smarm and niceness to pull off the role, letting viewers laugh at and root for him at the same time. The film is full of comedy all-stars in small roles like Oswalt, Chris Parnell, and Ben Stiller, but Harris steals everyone’s thunder. The line readings by the four-time Oscar nominee give an extra punch to his character’s jokes, especially one that hints at the sordid history of the tennis club.
It’s a shame that The Dink is only playing on a streaming service as there’s a dearth of good comedies like this in movie theaters. With a solid joke-telling approach, a respect for its subject matter, and a cast who all play off each other well, this is a film that deserves to be seen by more than just those with an Apple TV subscription.
