Dallas Stadium’s first World Cup match delivered late drama Sunday as Japan battled back twice to earn a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands in a Group F opener in Arlington.

Local Fans Enjoy the Match

The match marked North Texas’ first game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and brought an international tournament atmosphere to AT&T Stadium, temporarily renamed Dallas Stadium for FIFA play.

After a scoreless first half, the game opened up quickly. Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk scored in the 51st minute, and Japan answered minutes later through Keito Nakamura.

The Netherlands reclaimed the lead in the 64th minute when Crysencio Summerville found the net, but Japan kept pushing and pulled even late on Daichi Kamada’s 88th-minute equalizer.

Around 69,000 fans attended the match, and the local organizing committee had billed Netherlands vs. Japan as a high-energy Group F matchup between two elite soccer cultures.

The result gives both the Netherlands and Japan one point to start Group F. Japan is scheduled to return to Dallas Stadium on June 25 for a Group F match against Sweden.

Original reporting: The Dallas Express — read the source article.