FIFA officials pleased with Dallas ahead of World Cup

Stock photo of AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Photo credit Getty Images

Those in charge of the overall FIFA World Cup have enjoyed a relatively smooth process when working with the local organizers in Dallas.

That has not been the case though in other host cities.

Boston, New York New Jersey, and other areas have had ongoing problems.

"There's a lot of infrastructure here already," said FIFA Chief Business Strategy Officer Amy Hopfinger. "It's just a very different situation in Dallas than maybe some of the other host cities."

There have been several problems though outside of North Texas where World Cup matches are scheduled to be played.

Boston threatened the necessary entertainment license over security funding. New York New Jersey had to cancel their Fan Fest in Jersey City over funding issues.

Visiting teams from the Middle East have complained about social events planned in Seattle. There are also disruptions in Seattle with the likely withdrawal from Iran's team. Guadalajara was also recently rocked by Cartel violence.

So far, Dallas has moved forward with all of their planned events across North Texas.

"This is a little unique in that we actually have a FIFA team in Dallas. We've had staff here for the last year," Hopfinger said. "We aren't doing these formal inspection visits like you've might have seen in past World Cups or the Olympics because we're here every day."

Featured Image Photo Credit: Getty Images