March 10 – Houston is the latest of the US cities presenting its host credentials for the 2026 World Cup to FIFA bid scrutineers.
Houston is one of 17 US cities bidding for the 10 host slots for 2026, with FIFA expected to make a final decision by the end of this year. Tomorrow’s meeting will take place virtually like the Baltimore-Maryland presentation last week.
The showpiece stadium of the Houston bid is the 72,000 capacity NRG Stadium which is home to the Houston Texans NFL team.
The stadium has been a regular host of football with Concacaf Gold Cup games, including in 2019, regularly played there as well as hosting the Mexican national team and various European club.
“We are excited for the opportunity to engage with FIFA and U.S Soccer and discuss Houston’s unmatched operational readiness to host World Cup matches in 2026,” said Houston bid president Chris Canetti.
“We are fortunate to have such a world-class facility as part of our amazing network of infrastructure. NRG Stadium is a key element to the bid, and we are eager to show ow the stadium can seamlessly deliver for FIFA as it has done time-and-time again for other major events.”
Houston’s bid team includes international football industry veteran John Kristick who was a key member of the United 2026 bid team that delivered the tournament for the US, Mexico and Canada.
Houston is up against Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York/New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and Washington DC in the hosting battle.
In Mexico, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey have emerged as candidate cities and in Canada Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto are in the race.
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