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In Houston, Texas (KTRK) – Local organizers are already deep into preparations for the 2026 World Cup, which is more than two years away from its first match in the city.
The primary focus currently revolves around devising security and transportation strategies for what will be Houston’s largest-ever hosted event. With an expanded field of 48 nations participating in the ’26 World Cup, Houston is set to become a pivotal host city for what promises to be the most significant sporting event in history.
Chris Canetti, president of the World Cup committee, highlighted Houston’s well-established transportation infrastructure, drawing from the successful blueprints set by previous large-scale sporting events such as the Super Bowl, the Final Four, and the College Football Playoff national championship game. However, Canetti emphasized that the World Cup presents challenges of a different magnitude, with daily events planned throughout the city over the entire five-week duration of the tournament.
A recent discussion between Canetti and FIFA officials shed light on the massive influx of visitors expected to descend upon Houston. Drawing from the experience of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where 40,000 fans from Peru flocked to a remote host city despite only 14,000 having match tickets, Canetti underscored the importance of robust planning.
The ’26 World Cup schedule is slated to include a record-breaking 104 matches. Janis Burke, CEO of the Harris County Houston Sports Authority, revealed that FIFA is actively collaborating with Homeland Security and the White House to facilitate the smooth movement of fans from across the globe into host cities like Houston.
Canetti estimated the economic impact on the region during the summer of ’26 to exceed a billion dollars. Meanwhile, Bishop James Dixon, chairman of the Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation, likened hosting seven World Cup matches at NRG Stadium to hosting seven Super Bowls, with an anticipated local economic impact that is immeasurable. Dixon pointed out that the 2017 Super Bowl alone generated an economic impact of $347 million for Houston over the course of one week.
NRG Stadium is set to host seven matches from June 14 to July 4 during the 2026 World Cup. Fans will have to wait until late 2025 to learn which nations will compete in matches at NRG Stadium.