AT&T Stadium will have curtains up for late afternoon FIFA World Cup match

The sunlight shining in to AT&T Stadium has affected play during several Dallas Cowboys games over the last few years and has become a controversial subject. Richard Rodriguez / Getty Images Share article2The curtains at AT&T Stadium will be up during an afternoon football game this year — just not during one played by the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys’ home will host five FIFA World Cup Group Stage matches this summer and curtains will be up to block the notorious sunlight that shines through the west-facing windows of the stadium during the 6 p.m. CT fixture between Japan and Sweden on June 25, a FIFA spokesman confirmed to The Athletic. Front Office Sports was first to report. The sunlight shining in the stadium has affected play during several Cowboys games over the last few years and has become a controversial subject. Cowboys receiver George Pickens said after a Thanksgiving Day win against the Kansas City Chiefs last year that he missed a wide-open catch because he couldn’t see the ball. His teammate CeeDee Lamb blamed the sunlight after he missed a wide-open touchdown grab during a game against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024. Both players said curtains would’ve helped after those instances. Cowboy owner Jerry Jones, however, has been defiant regarding the issue. Jones was asked about putting curtains up after Lamb’s 2024 drop and told reporters, “Well, let’s 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?” The curtains have been up for other events held at AT&T Stadium, including the 2014 Men’s Final Four. Japan vs. Sweden is the only Group Stage match at the stadium confirmed to have the curtain, so far. Two of the other games, Netherlands vs. Japan and England vs. Croatia, will kick off at 3 p.m. CT. Argentina vs. Austria will have a noon start and June 27’s fixture between Jordan and Argentina isn’t scheduled to begin until 9 p.m. CT. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms