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By Local News Staff<\/strong> Rex Benson, owner of Rex\u2019s Bar & Grill in Fort Worth, wanted a standout attraction to draw crowds during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. His idea? A gigantic soccer ball\u2014so big, he joked, that even NASA could see it from space.<\/p>\n \u201cI imagined a 25-foot soccer ball, but seeing it in person made me realize just how massive that actually is,\u201d Benson said. The enormous inflatable ball, featuring the bar’s logo, successfully caught the attention of soccer fans in the early days of the tournament. Visitors have started pouring in, which Benson is thrilled about.<\/p>\n However, he expressed concern about Fort Worth\u2019s visibility during the event. \u201cIt feels like Fort Worth isn\u2019t getting the attention it deserves, with Dallas and Arlington taking the spotlight,\u201d he noted. Benson believes his city would have been more in the limelight if Texas Christian University (TCU) had been chosen as one of the official team base camps.<\/p>\n \u201cIf that had happened, Fort Worth would have garnered more recognition,\u201d he said. While the Stockyards and Billy Bob\u2019s are likely to attract many visitors, he wonders how the rest of the city will fare.<\/p>\n Beyond the giant soccer ball, Benson is using personal touches to promote his restaurant, which opened next to the popular Ol\u2019 South Pancake House in 2025. Recently, Rex\u2019s hosted 50 guests from the Japan-America Society DFW, who won a charity auction to attend the Japan-Netherlands match on June 14.<\/p>\n \u201cSoccer is great at bringing people together, no matter their background,\u201d Benson stated.<\/p>\n The economic impact of the World Cup is anticipated to be significant. A FIFA report estimates the event could bring $30 billion to the U.S., with $2 billion benefiting North Texas. A study from the University of Texas at Dallas predicts that the expected 2.7 million attendees over the nine matches in Arlington will spend money locally.<\/p>\n Charlie Butler, manager at Soccer Post\u2014a store specializing in soccer gear just a short drive from Dallas Stadium\u2014shared that his store has been buzzing with activity. \u201cWe prepared, ordered stock, and invested well in advance, but the demand has still been overwhelming,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n \u201cSome items sell out in no time. We never know exactly what to expect,\u201d Butler added, mentioning that they had to hire more staff to manage the rush.<\/p>\n While hotels and restaurants are expecting sizable profits, Butler’s store has experienced its busiest days in years due to World Cup traffic.<\/p>\n Local businesses are also facing challenges from FIFA’s strict marketing rules. Benson is well-aware of the need to abide by these guidelines. \u201cWe attended a session from the Texas Restaurant Association to learn what we can and can\u2019t do. We\u2019re being careful,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n Not all of the economic activity is concentrated on food, drinks, or lodging. NexCourt, a company based in Euless, has been tasked with building six mini-soccer pitches that will remain in the community after the tournament. These small courts will provide local residents with ongoing opportunities to play soccer.<\/p>\n Mark Kundysek, President of NexCourt, shared his excitement about the project. \u201cSoccer has always been a huge part of my life, so it\u2019s rewarding to create spaces where communities come together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n As for Benson, he has noticed different crowd sizes during various matches. \u201cFor Mexico\u2019s win over South Korea, we had a full house. For some other games, not so much,\u201d he said. The unpredictability makes it hard to gauge success.<\/p>\n He remains relieved to have that large soccer ball in front of his establishment. \u201cMy biggest worry is that the thing will get loose and float away down Interstate 30,\u201d he joked. \u201cWe\u2019ve secured it well, but who knows? This is Texas!\u201d<\/p>\n This article captures the hopes and challenges of local businesses during the World Cup, highlighting their efforts to make the most of the event.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Local Business Hopes for Boost During FIFA World Cup By Local News Staff June 21, 2026 Rex Benson, owner of Rex\u2019s Bar & Grill in Fort Worth, wanted a standout attraction to draw crowds during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. His idea? A gigantic soccer ball\u2014so big, he joked, that even NASA could see it<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35305,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[26450,655,46438,1177],"class_list":["post-35304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business-news","tag-2026-world-cup","tag-economic-development","tag-euless","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35304"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35304\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indiabulletinusa.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nJune 21, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/h3>\n