Dallas Trinity FC is bringing Liga MX Femenil back to the Cotton Bowl for a second straight year, announcing that Chivas Femenil will be its opponent for the 2026 State Fair Clásico on October 17. The 4 p.m. kickoff will take place on the final Saturday of the State Fair of Texas, and match tickets will once again double as same-day admission to the fairgrounds.
The announcement builds directly on a breakout debut. As reported by The Dallas Morning News, last year's inaugural State Fair Clásico saw Club América Femenil defeat Dallas Trinity FC 3-1 in front of 22,938 spectators, a crowd that Fair Park officials and league watchers have pointed to as evidence of the pulling power of pairing top Mexican clubs with the fair's massive foot traffic. Separate reporting from 3rd Degree pegged that attendance figure at 22,838, a discrepancy in the exact count that nonetheless still marked the highest attendance ever recorded for a professional women's sporting event in Texas history, surpassing the previous state record of 21,284 set at an NWSL match in Houston in 2022.
Dallas Trinity FC head coach Charlie Neil framed the return fixture as a continuation of that momentum, saying last year's match showed what is possible when women's soccer, Dallas culture and the State Fair come together, per the Dallas News report. Neil added that facing Chivas Femenil offers an opportunity to build momentum and celebrate the connection between North Texas and Mexico. The club has said it hopes for another strong showing after last year's outing, though the 2026 exhibition will count toward neither club's official record.
Chivas Femenil Brings Its Own Championship Pedigree
Chivas Femenil is no stranger to hardware. The club was founded in December 2016 and won the inaugural Liga MX Femenil title in Apertura 2017 before capturing a second league championship in Clausura 2022, according to background compiled by VAVEL USA, making it one of only five clubs to ever win the Mexican women's top-flight league. The Liga MX Femenil launched in Mexico in 2017, giving the league nearly a decade of history by the time this exhibition kicks off.
Chivas Femenil defender Nelly Simón said international matches like this one can raise the competitive level and experience of the club's players, according to the Dallas News report. The club has also positioned itself as a supporter of women's football and its professional development at every level, using international matches to connect with fans in the United States, and it has backed the women's game since the league launched in Mexico.
A Newly Renovated Cotton Bowl Ready For Another Big Crowd
Whatever crowd shows up on October 17 will do so inside a significantly upgraded stadium. The City of Dallas completed a $140 million phase-one renovation of Cotton Bowl Stadium in September 2025, installing 14 escalators, expanded concourses, modernized restrooms and new luxury viewing areas, according to KERA News. The 95-year-old stadium first opened in 1930 and currently maintains an official seating capacity of 92,100, according to Fair Park, making it one of the largest outdoor venues in the country and Dallas Trinity FC's primary home pitch since 2024.
The stadium's soccer résumé extends well beyond Trinity's tenure. Cotton Bowl Stadium previously hosted Major League Soccer's Dallas Burn from 1996 to 2002 and has also been selected as an official training venue for the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside match venue AT&T Stadium in Arlington, per JE Dunn Construction. The venue previously hosted six matches during the 1994 FIFA World Cup, adding another layer to its international soccer legacy.
Fitting Into a Bigger Fair Park Tradition
The State Fair Clásico joins a long line of marquee football events staged at the Cotton Bowl during the fair, including the State Fair Classic college rivalry between Grambling State and Prairie View A&M, which has played at the venue during the fair since the 1980s and is scheduled this year for September 26. The 2026 State Fair of Texas runs from September 25 through October 18, with organizers lowering adult weekday ticket prices to $15 and flat daily child tickets to $10 following feedback from 2025 fairgoers.
Dallas Trinity FC will wear a special-edition green jersey for the occasion. The club practices at Dallas Soccer Park and enters its third operational season under new USL Dallas ownership, having launched season ticket memberships starting at $144 for general admission that cover all eight fall regular-season home fixtures. The team's 14-match fall schedule runs from August 15 to November 28, a transition season before the USL Super League shifts to a spring-to-fall calendar in 2027, and the club will play four straight away matches while the State Fair occupies Fair Park.
The U.S. Soccer Federation officially granted Division I status to the USL Super League in February 2024, placing it on the same official competitive level as the National Women's Soccer League and marking the first time U.S. Soccer has simultaneously sanctioned two Division I women's leagues. That standing underscores why Dallas Trinity FC and fair organizers appear intent on making the Chivas Femenil match an annual fixture, following the template set by last year's record-breaking night against Club América Femenil.
