As North Texas hosts nine FIFA World Cup 2026 matches, major companies across the region are positioning themselves for the economic activity expected to accompany the tournament. Among them is Bank of America, which became FIFA’s first-ever banking partner ahead of the event.
Jennifer Chandler, Bank of America’s Dallas president and incoming chair of the Dallas Regional Chamber, and Wendy Stewart, president of global commercial banking, recently spoke with D CEO about the World Cup’s potential impact on North Texas, opportunities for local businesses, and what the bank is seeing across consumers, entrepreneurs, and large corporations.
D CEO: Why was becoming the official bank of FIFA World Cup 2026 the right investment for Bank of America?
WENDY STEWART: “We’re the first bank partner of FIFA that they’ve ever had. It really is about partnership, not sponsorship. But we do want to see the long-term impact of this partnership. We think it’ll have a multidimensional impact. The first is around client relationships. Being able to have clients experience FIFA in 16 cities around North America is going to be a unique experience for them. We’re excited about that. The second thing we’re focused on is community, in the 11 markets where FIFA will play in the U.S. We have a partnership with Soccer in the Streets and Soccer in Schools with Visa and U.S. Soccer.
“We want to expand access to the game of soccer in the U.S. The platform for FIFA will have that impact long after the games are over. It absolutely leaves the legacy. That’s important because when you think about health, wellness, longevity and giving everybody access to sports, it’s one of the few things that continue to bring people together. That’s what we love about it. Giving people access or the opportunity to come together, and access to sports. is something we’re excited about. Soccer is the most popular sport around the world, and continuing to see more and more kids play and giving them access to that is something that we’re excited to be a part of.”
D CEO: Beyond the immediate tourism impact of FIFA, what long-term opportunities does the World Cup create for North Texas?
JENNIFER CHANDLER: “We’re thrilled it’s in North Texas. It goes back to the regional story. Whether it’s FC Dallas, up in Con County, or what Dan Hunt’s doing in Mansfield, we know it’s an incredibly important moment in time. Giving access to children across the community is really key to what we do. The new pitch is in Fort Worth that we did with Visa, phenomenal.
“Unique to North Texas is the Sports Foundation, which is all about legacy; those dollars aren’t going to be poured in with FIFA and then FIFA leaves. We know we’re on the world stage during that time, but that investment is definitely long term for us. Whether it’s the next round of the women’s tournament that may come through North Texas or what we’re doing with youth, that collaboration here is important. This is really big for North Texas.”
STEWART: “We also want to make sure that FIFA is something that everyone can experience. We just recently announced that over 4,500 tickets are Vet Tix, for veterans, active military and first responders. We’re excited about that around the country.
“We do expect a significant economic investment and impact as a result of FIFA. The impact across around the world is $41 billion. And here in Texas, or just in the Dallas area, it’s $1.5 billion to $2 billion. That’s meaningful for the local economy.”
D CEO: How does the World Cup create opportunities for small to mid-size businesses?
STEWART: “There’s a tremendous opportunity for small to midsize businesses to participate in FIFA, whether that’s in the supply chain of a larger company around the country. In Dallas, we’ve done a lot of work to help small businesses and entrepreneurs get ready for the World Cup to see how they can take advantage of it.There’s everything from education, access to opportunity, and making sure that they’re ready to take advantage of it.
“Our clients within that space are definitely taking advantage of the opportunity. It’s a little different, say a small business or an entrepreneur that sees us as kind of a unique opportunity to springboard into something else. We’re not seeing anyone that’s radically shifting their strategy as a result of FIFA. If they’re adjacent to sports or soccer, then they’re definitely capitalizing on the opportunity.”
CHANDLER: “In North Texas, with initiatives like fan fests, Monica Paul has done a great job with the planning host committee. You got a great host committee that’s played right into that. With the different vendors, people that have downstream impact that they will be able to take part in.”
D CEO: And then so the World Cup sits at the intersection of sports media, finance, and global commerce. What lessons can other industries learn from that ecosystem?
STEWART: “What other industries can learn is how are you a brand that brings people together and creates really unique experiences? In the World Cup, you have fans who absolutely love soccer, but for a lot of people, it’s more about the experience of being together, about winning, about celebrating. People want connections. I think that understanding of who you’re doing business with, and if there’s a global element to that.
“I think having a financial structure that’s sustainable, because the World Cup is expensive to put it on. Yet, it will have an impact that ripples for decades. Having the right financing and the right financial structure to support your company while also looking at the long term is important. Being very relevant to community and how you give back to community is another lesson I think companies can take away from that.”
D CEO: This tournament can become a catalyst for future international investment. What do you see for North Texas specifically?
CHANDLER: “For more Texas, differences on the world stage continue to attract international companies here. When we go back and think about the story of Dallas, a big part of that is DFW Airport. I think with us being a hub, the World Cup gives us an opportunity to tell the story. A lot of companies, a lot of people will be here. It’s going to play in our favor as we continue to attract local companies. As a city and as a firm, we continue to think globally.
“The world’s getting smaller with technology. With the migration, people think of just the coast for North Texas, but it’s not. It’s global companies. When you look at U.S. and Mexico, the U.S. Mexico Chamber is based here in Irving. We’re seeing a lot of buy shoring; so companies who maybe want a portion of manufacturing in Mexico, but they want their headquarters to be in Irving.
“That big international play is important for us at Bank of America because we bank many of those institutions from soup to nuts, but as a city and as a region, it’s going to be important and we will continue to invest internationally.”
D CEO: When you look at everything BofA is seeing across consumers, entrepreneurs, and large corporations, what story does that tell about where the economy is headed?
STEWART: “At the consumer level, what we are seeing is what we call a K-shaped economy. You’ve got two segments within the consumer population: a consumer base that is continuing to grow, spending their investments that are doing well, and they’re fueling the economy.
“For entrepreneurs, it depends on the sector. I think some entrepreneurs have been able to weather a lot of the macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges the last two years. Others, it’s been more acute in terms of their ability to navigate through that. As you go into larger companies all the way to multinational corporations, I think they operate at a size and scale where they can just absorb some of these shocks more effectively, maybe than a smaller company can.”
CHANDLER: “As we’re covering Dallas, we tend to fare better. It’s like the U.S. economy, but slightly better. I have great optimism around all segments. On the consumer side, we are doing so much around increasing the living wage. We increased our minimum wage to $25 an hour. We’re doing a great deal of work in North Texas to where organizations can make sure that they’re increasing living wage, that we’re working with community colleges and others to increase that living wage across all sectors.
“The corporate side, varies by sector, but the beauty for North Texas is that it’s such a diverse economy. The macro themes are so complex and challenging for some companies, that bodes well for North Texas because we’re seeing the migration to the U.S.”
D CEO: Jennifer, you’ve recently been appointed chairwoman of the Dallas Regional Chamber. What are your priorities within that role?
CHANDLER: “We want to continue to make Dallas a great place for business. We’ll be in session in Austin next year, so pro-business policy. We’re weighing in on downtown Dallas, where our regional chamber will stay incredibly focused on the region. Whether it’s global companies or companies coming from the East or West coast, we will continue to attract them to the broader region. We do feel that downtown is important. We’ll continue to see where we can help support that as well.”
D CEO: And then is there anything else you think is important for our readers to know.
CHANDLER: “Whenever I have an opportunity, I love to talk about this beautiful moment in time we have in North Texas, with the population growing with companies coming here. I can’t reinforce enough that we want to bank every level of client. I know affordability continues to be a topic that a lot of people are talking about. We’re capitalists. We believe in the strength of the U.S. economy. Again, we raised our minimum wage. Our homeownership grants are all over the country, but they’re very big in North Texas. We have over 2,100 homes right now, and we cover the closing costs to down payment. The city of Dallas has an additional grant that they lay on top of that. We stay in tune with the needs of our community.”
STEWART: “Dallas is important to our company. This year, our country is celebrating its 250th birthday. We’ve been around as an institution for 240 years. We have long, deep, rich history and heritage around the United States. We’ve been in Dallas for 153 years. This is the 2nd largest market for us across the country, and we’re just getting started. We’re well positioned to continue to help Dallas grow in tremendous ways.”
CHANDLER: “We have over 14,000 people now. We’re here today because we continue to connect the dots to make a better client experience for clients, everything from the large corporate coverage that we have down that every individual consumer that walks through our financial center doors. It’s an exciting time to be here.”
