HOUSTON — The countdown is on! Houston is less than three years away from hosting matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and preparations are already underway. On Thursday, FIFA representatives dropped by for an onsite visit at NRG Park.
More than 30 officials attended meetings and took tours of NRG Stadium and the training facility where Houston is expected to host five to eight matches. H-Town was awarded host city status last June.
The 2026 World Cup is anticipated to be the biggest ever with cities across the U.S., Mexico and Canada hosting games.
"It's a big hurdle to host such an international event like this, but we're ready for it," Harris County Sports and Convention Corp. CEO Ryan Walsh said.
Chris Canetti, the president of the Houston 2026 World Cup Bid Committee, told KHOU 11 they're still in the planning stages.
"We're now less than three years away from the World Cup coming to Houston and I think today is a significant moment in planning and seeing that things are ramping up and moving forward," Canetti said.
As for the next big announcement, Canetti said that'll come before the end of the year when we'll find out exactly how many games Houston will host and what rounds the city will host.
"We've got a lot of work to do, but our job is really to take what exists here locally and put a World Cup into that," FIFA World Cup '26 Chief Strategy and Planning Officer Amy Hopfinger said.
Hopfinger said there were several factors that contributed to Houston getting chosen to host games, including the city's diversity, weather and the great stadium with a roof.
"It’s an honor,” said Ryan Walsh, CEO of Harris County Sports & Convention Corp – NRG Park. “It's a big hurdle to host such an international event like this, but we're ready for it.”
The event is expected to have a massive impact on the economy in Houston. It's projected to bring in more than $1 billion to the area. But, for the hosting committee, its lasting impact is just as important.
"One of our visions behind this is after the games are over, what is the legacy that's left in our city," Canetti said. "How can we use this World Cup to help make Houston a better place at the end of the day."
Canetti said we can expect an announcement on how many matches and which rounds Houston will host.
This was the FIFA delegation’s fifth visit to NRG Park.