Jerry Jones suffers ultimate World Cup embarrassment as Cowboys owner under pressure to make AT&T change

Jerry Jones finally made it to AT&T Stadium to soak in a World Cup game, but he might as well have stayed at home.

The ever-present Dallas Cowboys owner showed up for the last of the tournament-high nine games at his $1.3 billion facility, to watch Spain beat France in a blockbuster semifinal.

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As the action unfolded, Jones was flashed up on the giant video board that hangs above the center of the field, and was met by loud boos.

Footage shared on social media captured the embarrassing moment he was jeered inside his own stadium, which was awash with the red and blue of Spain and France fans.

The Cowboys owner has a suite for the World Cup, and that’s where Jones was shown sitting alongside his wife, Gene.

Clearly a polarizing figure to both soccer and NFL fans, the sellout crowd of 70,176 didn’t take kindly to seeing his face flashed up on the giant screen.

Tuesday marked his first appearance of the summer at AT&T. His family is known to leave Texas at this time of year — between the end of offseason workouts in June and the start of training camp in late July.

His box has been donated to FIFA for much of the tournament, which saw historic performances from Argentina superstar Lionel Messi, as well as Cristiano Ronaldo’s final World Cup game for Portugal at Jerry’s World.

As the semifinal between Spain and France was the last game of the tournament at AT&T, it will soon be transformed back into a football venue for the 2026 season, which begins in September.

Jones has already faced the wrath from fans inside his own building, and unless he has a change of heart in the coming weeks, he could find himself unpopular amongst NFL players and coaches too.

Jerry Jones on wrong side of turf debate ahead of 2026 season

Natural grass has been installed at AT&T — and every other host stadium — for the World Cup.

The move has re-ignited a long-running debate over the turf used in the NFL, and Jones confirmed earlier this year that as soon as the soccer tournament ends, the Cowboys home field will return to an artificial surface.

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“We have more flexibility with the way we handle our surface at the stadium. We have no belief that it’s any safer to play on grass,” he said during April’s annual meetings.

“The turf, actually like many things, improves the economics of being able to play this game and our players are the biggest benefactor of all.

“They get the best benefit of when we do good things financially, the players benefit. So I’m working for you, baby, if you’re a player.”

Jones, though, finds himself in a shrinking school of thought.

A whopping 92 percent of NFL players would prefer to play on grass fields, and stars like George Kittle have been vocal about making the change this summer.

During Cowboys minicamp, safety Julius Wood said football is ‘meant to be played on grass’ when asked for his opinion, and heading into the new season, Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis echoed those thoughts.

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“I just always felt that football should be played on grass,” he told The LA Times on July 9.

“That’s for safety purposes, number one. I want it to look like a game was played even if it’s an indoor field.

“You see grass stains and everything else. I wasn’t going to a stadium without it being grass once I knew that capability was there.

“Obviously, it added a lot of cost, but it’s worth it.”

Coming to America

How the 1994 World Cup changed soccer in USA – from tourists in Italy to better than England and MLS

Ranking the World Cup venues – from New York to Los Angeles, a string of spectacular venues will play host to the 2026 World Cup

The $9bn pitch built for Ronaldo’s last World Cup – ‘Forever’ grass, artificial sunlight and closed roof

The World Cup, and now some fellow NFL owners, have set a precedent on natural surfaces.

Jones has already been on the end of fan fury the World Cup this summer, and if he isn’t careful, he could soon face the wrath of players and fans if he remains reluctant to change the turf at AT&T for the fall.

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