Texas Tech softball coach Gerry Glasco doesn’t seem to care for the Red Raiders’ No.1 preseason ranking in the Softball America poll.

“It’s nice to get the attention and nice to get the respect, but it’s rat poison as [Nick] Saban says,” Glasco said. “I’ve never had a team ranked No. 1 in college, so it’s a new thing for me. But it really [means] absolute nothing to me. I just want to work every day, get our team ready.

“It does mean this time is precious. We’ve got a rare opportunity this year. We’ve got a very unique team with a lot of talent. So it does mean the team’s precious, and we want to really value every opportunity to get better.”

Texas Tech will seek to avenge its 2025 Women’s College World Series loss to the Texas Longhorns. During its first WCWS appearance, the Red Raiders fell 10-4 in Game 3 of the championship series. Their remarkable march to the title series included a 54-14 regular-season record, Big 12 Coach of the Year honors for Glasco and conference regular-season and tournament titles.

The program’s historic run was also led by National Pitcher of the Year NiJaree Canady. The Stanford transfer played in 61 games for the Red Raiders, starting 56 matchups. She finished her junior season with a 34-7 record, 319 strikeouts, and a 1.11 ERA. As a hitter, she had a .278 batting average, 34 RBI, 30 hits and 11 home runs.

Looking ahead to the Red Raiders’ 2026 schedule, Glasco seems excited for the opportunities his roster has to compete and potentially make a run back to the WCWS.

“The schedule gives up everything we need,” Galsco said. “We’ve got really challenging games with Texas A&M, Florida State, Nebraska ― and then our conference is going to be tough. It’s going to be a great year.”

The Red Raiders open the 2026 NCAA softball season on Feb. 6 against McNeese State.

North Texas FIFA World Cup organizers say this week will bring the first visible signs of activity.

“Tomorrow is a very big day for us,” organizer Monica Paul said. “The move-in for the International Broadcast Center for the World Cup begins. So, they will start moving in a lot of trucks, a lot of building out will take place.”

“I feel like we’re ready for this,” organizer Dan Hunt said. “I mean, this city has been built for this.”

Thousands of media arriving soon

Organizers say that by mid-May, 3,500 broadcasters, media, and staff are expected to arrive at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.

Transportation planning will involve coordination across multiple cities and agencies, as millions of fans are expected to move across the region once the tournament begins.

“A large stakeholder group has been taking shape to put this transportation plan together,” Paul said. “Our last mobility plan is due to FIFA at the end of March.”

Security effort spans all levels

Safety and security will involve local, state, and federal partners.

“We are working with the White House Task Force for the World Cup,” Paul said. “It was set up specifically to be our federal government liaison with the host cities to address any concerns.”

Organizers say they want to ensure international visitors feel welcome.

Fan festival to anchor celebrations

For fans without tickets, Fair Park will host the FIFA Fan Festival, a large-scale viewing and entertainment experience during the tournament. The full schedule is expected to be released next month.

“With the good fortune we have here, Dallas Stadium will have nine matches which is over 700,000 tickets,” Hunt said. “Fan fest down in Fair Park should do double that. Almost 1.5 million visitors.”

“What I’m excited about is our Fan Fest is estimated to be free to the public and that excites me because everyone who does not have a ticket can also benefit from the energy of celebrating the World Cup,” organizer Nina Vaca said.

Long‑term goals beyond the tournament

With a projected $2.1 billion economic impact, organizers say the broader goal is to grow the game of soccer in North Texas long after the final match.