DALLAS, Texas — When the World Cup returns to DFW, it arrives in a country far more familiar with the sport than in 1994, when crowds packed the Cotton Bowl without always knowing the rules.

Barry Tate, who owns The Londoner, an English pub in Dallas, hopes the surge of visitors will bring both excitement and business from fans crowding around the matches.

“When the English score a goal, all the beers go up in the air,” he said. “And straight away, that's another 100 pints I got to pour. They see it as a goal. I think of it as money.”

Regional leaders project a $2 billion economic impact for North Texas as fans arrive from around the world. England is among the heavyweight teams playing group-stage matches in Dallas , alongside the Netherlands, Croatia and Argentina.

“Messi is playin

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