Cowboys coach says Dallas Stadium's World Cup changes rob fans of 'majestic' setting

For the past 17 seasons, the Dallas Cowboys have played their home games at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The venue, best known for its massive video board hanging above the 50-yard line, has been temporarily renamed Dallas Stadium as it hosts several World Cup matches.

The end zones, yard markers and artificial turf are gone inside the retractable-roof stadium during soccer matches. But one change caught Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer’s attention: curtains installed to block the infamous sunlight from pouring onto the natural grass field.

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"I'm a big... actually World Cup guy. I watch a lot of the games. It's been cool for me. I've been out by The Star watching the watch parties and stuff that people have had. It sounds like they had the blinders up... the shades," Schottenheimer told reporters during a press conference earlier this week.

"So it's majestic as it is when we are playing our games. The grass and the shades, it's not as majestic. They're going to miss the experience."

Glaring natural light has been a recurring issue since the Cowboys moved into their billion-dollar home in 2009.

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During a 2017 game against the Kansas City Chiefs, then-Cowboys receivers Dez Bryant and Brice Butler both blamed the sun’s glare for missed catches. A few years later, in a 2021 playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers, wideout Cedrick Wilson never appeared able to see a pass thrown his way. The following year, Michael Gallup failed to haul in what would have been a touchdown completion — again likely due to the glare.

Schottenheimer also leaned into the topic earlier in his first season as Cowboys head coach, sarcastically calling the sunlight that cuts through AT&T Stadium "majestic."

"Well, I’ve been here for a little while, and I’ve heard about it," Schottenheimer said in October 2025 via the Associated Press.

"Hey, look, if you guys could see the process and the plan we have in place to figure it out. We have satellite imaging. We have pictures of the sun, when it’s coming down. There’s a big plan and process. But I think when you look at historically at what’s happened it really hasn’t affected many situations. We plan for it. The opponents plan for it. But at the end of the day, it’s something that we’re aware of. It’s very beautiful. It’s majestic when the sun comes through there."

AT&T Stadium hosted its first World Cup match on June 14, when the Netherlands and Japan played to a 1-1 draw. The NFL venue, better known as "Jerry World" in a nod to longtime Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones, hosted its second tournament match Wednesday, when England defeated Croatia 4-2.

The curtains were up for both of those matches. They are expected to return June 22, when Lionel Messi and reigning World Cup champion Argentina face Austria.

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