German sports tech company names Arlington its U.S. headquarters ahead of World Cup

A Munich-based sports technology company is opening its U.S. headquarters in Arlington by the end of December.

Sportec Solutions has been working in soccer data since 1988 and recently paired with Major League Soccer to distribute live analytics and match data during games. The company will have an office space at 1701 E. Lamar Blvd. and is expected to create 17 jobs with an annual average salary of $55,000.

Sportec did not respond to an interview request from The Dallas Morning News. But the German company’s presence in Arlington is the city’s latest win after it was awarded nine 2026 World Cup matches and was named the sixth-best sports business city by the Sports Business Journal.

“We want to attract headquarters, enterprises and all these big companies. I think they chose Arlington because they know it’s a great fit,” said Marty Wieder, the executive director for Arlington Economic Development Corporation. “With all of our professional sports all located near our entertainment district, it’s just natural for them to come in and be a part of what we’re building here.”

The company’s headquarters will be about five minutes from the Arlington Entertainment District, which is home to the $250 million Texas Live! entertainment complex and $150 million Loews Hotel. The headquarters is also about 40 minutes south of Frisco’s Toyota Stadium, home to FC Dallas.

Sportec’s Arlington headquarters will have ultramodern amenities to work with live match data, video refereeing and tools for live commentary.

The company could play a substantial role in soccer’s growth in North Texas, said Christian Holzer, managing director at Sportec.

“We are the center of all the data for the whole sport of soccer, so in that sense, we are core to the development of the MLS in the U.S.,” Holzer said. “All of that will happen at our Arlington operations center.”

Getting Sportec to choose Arlington was no small feat, Wieder said. The Arlington Economic Development Corp. has been working with Sportec for the last year to figure out how to wrangle them to North Texas.

In October 2023, the Arlington Economic Development Corp. agreed during a closed meeting that providing a $1 million performance grant may incentivize the company. However, that grant comes with some expectations for Sportec, Wieder said.

“The EDC made it clear that they would need their headquarters here by December, and that’s quick. Developments like this don’t happen overnight,” he said. “They’ll have to maintain and create at least 10 full-time jobs through 2029.”

Though nothing is certain yet, it’s possible Sportec could work with the World Cup and other soccer tournaments at AT&T Stadium like the Concacaf Nations League to supply technological services during games, Wieder said. The company currently stores and maintains millions of match data points for the Bundesliga, the German soccer league.

“I think with the types of technology solutions they’ve already provided, you’ve got to think that’s going to be an attractive possibility for the MLS, World Cup, Concacaf and any feeder series,” Wieder said. “We expect them to grow significantly in the next 10 years by adding employment and tech to the city.”

Sportec may also create pipelines between itself and local universities, like the University of Texas at Arlington, to create internship programs, Wieder said.

The city’s proximity to DFW International Airport along with Arlington’s growth as a sports business powerhouse will perfectly set up Sportec to be a sports tech titan in the U.S. soon, said Stefan Schuster, Sportec supervisory board chairman.

“Arlington was the perfect location with the perfect infrastructure for our company,” said Schuster. “The city and the AEDC were extremely supportive and went to great lengths to help us throughout the process. It’s the ideal situation for our growth.”

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