Arlington is getting ready to slap a much longer expiration date on its biggest attraction. Mayor Jim Ross said yesterday the city is finalizing a lease extension that would keep the Dallas Cowboys and AT&T Stadium in town through 2055, locking in America's Team as the centerpiece of the city's entertainment district for decades to come. He framed the talks as part of a broader effort to manage what happens to the stadium once the 2026 World Cup leaves town.
Original Deal And What Would Change
The Cowboys' original lease, signed in 2009, runs for 30 years and is set to expire in 2039. The agreement includes roughly $2 million in annual rent, according to a 2009 City of Arlington staff report. Extending the term to 2055 would tack on about 16 more years and push back the timeline for major capital and maintenance decisions. Those baseline figures and the stadium's operational date are spelled out in the lease documents the city released when the venue opened.
Mayor's Announcement
Ross told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that city staff is putting the final touches on the extension and working through the fine print. The Star-Telegram reported that the deal on the table would carry the lease to 2055, roughly 16 years beyond the current end date. The paper also noted that if the existing rent structure stayed the same, the Cowboys would pay about $92 million by the time the new term runs out. City and team officials have not yet released the amendment text for the public to read.
Renovations And World Cup Backdrop
The reported extension talks are happening while AT&T Stadium undergoes multi-hundred-million-dollar upgrades and gears up to host nine matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including a semifinal. The Cowboys secured league approval for a major renovation plan focused on refreshing suites and upgrading video boards, according to The Dallas Morning News. The World Cup match lineup at the stadium is detailed on the region's DFW World Cup site. Those upgrades and the tournament bookings are exactly the kinds of long-range payoffs city and team leaders point to when they talk about the stadium's long-term value.
What It Means For Arlington's Finances
The city is entering these talks from a stronger financial position than when the building opened. Arlington paid off its $325 million share of the original construction debt in August 2025, freeing up the revenue streams that had been tied to those bonds, according to the City of Arlington. Those revenue sources, which include a half-cent sales tax along with hotel occupancy and rental car taxes, remain legally restricted to stadium-related uses, the city noted. Any new lease amendment will still have to go through a public process, including scrutiny over who pays for future capital projects and ongoing maintenance.
Next Steps
Ross said negotiators are working on the final language but did not release any draft documents. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that details remain tightly held for now. The expected path is a future City Council agenda item, where staff reports and resolutions will be posted on the city's public meeting portal for anyone to read (Arlington meeting portal). Residents should watch for the council docket and the staff resolution that will spell out any fiscal commitments, along with how the amended lease would be enforced.
If the extension is approved, AT&T Stadium would remain a towering anchor of Arlington's entertainment district well into the 2050s. This story will be updated as the city releases the lease amendment and schedules council action for public review.
