Houston named one of host cities for 2026 World Cup

The World Cup is coming to Houston. FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, chose Houston as one of 16 sites for the 2026 Men’s World Cup, the first edition of the tournament to be co-hosted by three nations: the United States, Canada and Mexico. Sixty games will be played in the U.S., including all from the quarterfinals on. Canada and Mexico are to host 10 games each. Houston did not stage matches the last time the U.S. held the World Cup in 1994 — Dallas was the closest venue — but the Bayou City is now getting its shot. Thursday’s announcement was the culmination of a three-year campaign by members of the Houston 2026 World Cup Bid Committee, a subsidiary of the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority (HCHSA). Janis Burke, the sports authority’s CEO, said this opportunity has actually been in the works for much longer.

“We've worked not just for years on the bid like every other city, but we really started working on this a decade ago, because Houston was not at the table the last time that World Cup was in the United States, and Dallas was,” Burke said. “We've proven ourselves over and over with all the international friendlies and the COPA America and every soccer event we could get our hands on, we did. And that was purposeful. It was a tactic that worked for us and we just wanted to prove to the world that they should not skip Houston, that Houston is a great soccer town.” World Cup games in Houston — likely five or six — will be played in 72,000-capacity NRG Stadium. Chris Canetti, the local bid committee CEO, said he is hopeful Houston hosts some knockout round matches as well as group stage matches. NRG Stadium is not a candidate for the semifinals or finals because FIFA requires a minimum of 80,000 seats for those games. MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., and AT&T Stadium in Arlington are believed to be the top contenders to stage the final. The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., which hosted the 1994 World Cup final, was left out, as was a combined bid representing Baltimore and Washington, D.C., meaning the United States capital will not play a role in its biggest sporting event in 2026.