AT&T Stadium looked different during the FIFA World Cup, with major modifications made to meet international standards. However, the Dallas Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, is sticking with the stadium’s traditional setup.

"A vicious sun glare continues to be an issue during the late slate of games on Sunday afternoons,” Grayson Weir of Brobible.com wrote on July 15. “Dallas Stadium used the curtains to block the glare for the international soccer tournament. AT&T Stadium will not use the curtains to block the glare during the NFL season.”

The venue installed blackout curtains ahead of the Japan-Sweden World Cup match on June 26. The large glass doors on each side of the stadium were tinted to prevent sunlight from getting into the pitch.

Though Jones installed the curtains for the nine World Cup games the venue hosted, he has been firm that he would not retain the curtains as he returns to hosting NFL games.

The stadium’s unusual east-west alignment, contrasting with the league's traditional north-south oriented venues, creates severe glare issues during late-afternoon games.

Severe sun glare affected players' visibility, causing teams in late-afternoon matches to miss key scoring opportunities.

“The sun sets in the west, so it only a problem during games that kick off at 3:05/3:25 p.m,” Grayson Weir of Brobible.com wrote in his article. “It typically hits the field during the second half...It is a serious issue for the players when they are facing toward the western windows. They can’t see.”

Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb has previously raised concerns about the glare, notably losing a crucial pass in the sunlight during a 2024 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Weir further wrote that even the audience had to squint to see the field during the later quarters of late-afternoon games.

With the World Cup concluded, AT&T Stadium is reclaiming its NFL identity, stripping away the temporary modifications implemented for the international soccer tournament.

Dallas Stadium reverts to AT&T Stadium following FIFA World Cup

After 30 days and nine World Cup matches, the "Dallas Stadium" signage has officially ended as crews have started removing the World Cup branding.

"Just one day after Spain defeated France in a FIFA World Cup semifinal match, Dallas Stadium in Arlington is now back to being AT&T Stadium," Payton May of Fox4News wrote on July 15. "Crews are wasting no time transitioning the stadium back to the home of the Dallas Cowboys."

May noted that the covering on the AT&T Stadium sign would be removed first, followed by the window curtains of the large doors in the east-west aligned venue.

Jones is also set to retain the artificial turf and remove the grass field installed specifically for the World Cup matches.

Should Jerry Jones reconsider and use the curtains during late-afternoon Cowboys games, or is the sun glare just part of home-field advantage? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore