New Delhi, Aug. 2 -- ARLINGTON - The curtains came down in the middle of a World Cup match, and Jerry Jones took notice.

AT&T Stadium opened in 2009 as the most expensive NFL venue ever built - $1.3 billion, and running east to west by design. Jones chose the orientation so that the setting Texas sun would pour through the west-facing glass panels during late-afternoon games, producing the kind of visual effect that had never been available in a domed stadium. He got the image. The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which hosted matches at AT&T Stadium this summer, handed him the complication.

FIFA required the stadium to close its curtains during at least one World Cup match because the afternoon sun was interfering with play. That is the operationa...