HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) – The eyes of the world will be on Houston in four years’ time, when the city begins hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches.
NRG Stadium was announced on Thursday as one of the 16 U.S. venues to host the matches of the prestigious international football tournament.
The Houston team completes a successful four-year journey of a nomination committee that sold to FIFA not only the structural benefits of NRG Stadium, but also the culture of one of the most diverse cities in the United States.
The selection is a historic moment for a city that has already hosted three Super Bowls, three NCAA Men’s Final Fours, with one more underway next year, as well as the National College Football Playoff Championship scheduled for 2024 .
In total, 60 matches are planned with a field of 48 countries for the “United 2026” World Cup, which will be hosted by three countries for the first time in the history of the tournament.
So what’s up? Although no game schedule has been announced yet, Houston is likely to host a total of five or six games.
FIFA cut the final 16 of a group of 23 cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Apart from Houston, the other host cities include:
- Arlington, Texas
- Atlanta
- East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Foxborough, Massachusetts
- Guadalajara, Mexico
- Inglewood, California
- Kansas City
- Mexico City
- Miami Gardens, Florida
- Monterrey, Mexico
- Philadelphia
- Santa Clara, California
- Seattle
- Toronto
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Cities were revealed by regions: east, center, and west. Houston is a host city in the Central Region.
The head of the Houston committee was confident before the victory
This will be a one-month tournament that billions of people will see around the world. Now that Houston is selected, the city hosts the equivalent of six Super Bowls.
The city of Houston has been preparing for this since 2018, when FIFA awarded the World Cup to North America.
The city presented the facilities at and around the NRG Stadium, along with the vitality of our community, to convince FIFA to accept the candidacy.
“People have asked me if I’m losing sleep. The truth is, I’m sleeping very well at night right now, because I know we’ve done everything in our power. We’ve answered all the calls. We’ve answered “We’ve not lost a single element right now, and we haven’t been short or weak in any area. It was really a great collective effort by our community to really come together,” said Chris Canetti, president of Houston World Cup Nominating Committee, speaking on ABC13 on Wednesday.
Canetti said another advantage is the retractable roof of the NRG stadium, which means matches are guaranteed to run on schedule, regardless of heat or summer storms.
“In accordance with the previous stages of the selection process for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, any announcement will be made in the best interest of football, taking into account the needs of all stakeholders, as we intend to establish The basics for the tournament have been successfully delivered to all three countries, “said Victor Montagliani, FIFA Vice President and President of CONCACAF.
Canetti said being part of something like this is very important to Houston.
“We don’t want only football games to come here and it’s the end of history. We want to make sure that this event and other sporting events that come to Houston help make Houston a better place for its residents. We believe that the World Cup, the most popular and prestigious sporting event in the world, will allow us to take advantage of many opportunities in and around the market, “said Canetti.
U.S. cities are reported to be home to the quarterfinals.
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