North Texas is stepping onto the global stage as two FIFA World Cup teams arrive in the region to prepare for matches beginning next week. The Czechia national team is scheduled to arrive on Friday at Dallas Love Field before traveling to Fort Worth, where the team will stay during its time in No rth Texas. The squad will train at Mansfield Stadium, which was officially designated in March as a FIFA World Cup 2026 Team Base Camp Training Site. Czechia advanced to the tournament through UEFA Playoff Path D, marking its first World Cup appearance in 20 years. The team will open group play on June 11 against South Korea at Guadalajara Stadium, before facing South Africa in Atlanta and Mexico in Mexico City. Mansfield Stadium will serve as Czechia’s primary training and operations headquarters during the tournament. The team is scheduled to host a community training session there on Saturday at their training field in Mansfield. The free tickets to attend the event have all been snagged up, but those lucky enough to get a ticket will get to experience the only public opportunity for fans to watch the team practice before its first match. Behind the scenes, grounds crews have spent months preparing the facility to meet World Cup standards. “Number one goal is safety. You want the safest, most aesthetically pleasing pitch possible. But number one is safety, because we have to protect our athletes,” said Tony Crawford, director of grounds and agronomy at Mansfield Stadium. Crawford said crews will continue maintaining the field throughout the team’s stay. “Every three days, we will refresh the paint. And so we’re kind of at their mercy of when they want to train and we will do what we need to do in order to achieve their goals,” he said. Czechia officials have also expressed excitement about connecting with the North Texas community during their stay. “After 20 years, the Czech national team is back at the FIFA World Cup. The community training session is always a great event, and we are looking forward to meeting the people from Dallas, which will become our home for a few weeks,” said Pavel Nedvěd, General Manager of the Czech national team. Meanwhile, Sweden’s national team is set to arrive Saturday evening, with Frisco serving as its home base. The team will train at Toyota Stadium, home of FC Dallas. The city of Frisco is planning a large welcome event, complete with a drumline, Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders and Swedish-themed decorations. Sweden will play in Group F, opening against Tunisia on June 14 in Monterrey, Mexico. The team will then face the Netherlands on June 20 in Houston before wrapping up group play against Japan on June 25 at Dallas Stadium in Arlington. The tournament also brings a local connection for North Texas fans. FC Dallas defender Herman Johansson was recently named to Sweden’s World Cup roster, contributing to a milestone for the club. Johansson’s selection marks the first time FC Dallas has had three active players represented in a FIFA World Cup. He told NBC 5 in a recent feature story that it’s a childhood dream come true. “It feels like the whole world is stopping to just watch the World Cup,” Johansson said. “So that was me being a kid just watching all the games.” With both teams now calling North Texas home during group play, the region is expected to draw international attention as World Cup excitement builds ahead of kickoff next week. The World Cup begins Thursday, June 11. ...read more read less