Sports

Houston To Host 2026 FIFA World Cup

Published

3 years ago

Jun 17, 2022.

Paul Mbagwu

Houston, Texas, is the 3rd largest economy in the USA and its selection as one of the cities hosting such a global sporting activity which has a potential economic impact of a billion-dollar cannot be quantified
NRG Stadium, the home of the Houston Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, will be the venue in Houston for the world’s largest sporting event.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Houston, Texas on Thursday was selected by FIFA as one of the host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup that is being hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

NRG Stadium, the home of the Houston Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, will be the venue in Houston for the world’s largest sporting event.

Houston, Texas, is the 3rd largest economy in the USA and its selection as one of the cities hosting such a global sporting activity which has a potential economic impact of a billion-dollar cannot be quantified.

Mayor Turner celebrating todays incredible announcement!#Houston2026 #SpiritofHouston #FIFAWorldCup #HostCity2026 pic.twitter.com/Dl2YseCOl2

— City of Houston (@HoustonTX) June 16, 2022

FIFA on Wednesday announced the 16 North American cities that will host matches for the 2026 World Cup, with 11 venues chosen in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada.

The 2026 World Cup will be the first tournament hosted by three nations and also the first that will expand to 48 teams in the competition.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a news release, “We congratulate the 16 FIFA World Cup Host Cities on their outstanding commitment and passion.

“Today is a historic day — for everyone in those cities and states, for FIFA, for Canada, the USA and Mexico who will put on the greatest show on Earth. We look forward to working together with them to deliver what will be an unprecedented FIFA World Cup and a game-changer as we strive to make football truly global.”

Speaking about the selection process in an interview with Fox Sports, Gianni Infantino said, “It was the most competitive process ever for the FIFA World Cup,”

“We will be working in clusters, making sure that the teams and the fans don’t have to travel too much in different areas: West, Central and East.”

The cities officially selected to host World Cup matches in Mexico and Canada are: Guadalajara (Estadio Akron), Monterrey (Estadio BBVA Bancomer), Mexico City (Estadio Azteca), Toronto (BMO Field) and Vancouver (BC Place).

“It’s a historic day for U.S. Soccer and the entire American soccer community, from every corner of our grassroots to the pros and our National Teams,” U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone said in a statement. “Together with our good friends in Canada and Mexico, we couldn’t be more excited to work with FIFA to host what we think will be the greatest World Cup in history.

“I want to congratulate all the big cities that will host games. I know you will all do a fantastic job of sharing your world-class stadiums, unique communities and culture, and amazing fans when the world comes to North America in four years.”

The following candidates missed out on selection: Baltimore/Washington (M&T Bank Stadium); Orlando, Florida (Camping World Stadium); Cincinnati (Paul Brown Stadium); Nashville, Tennessee (Nissan Stadium); Denver (Empower Field at Mile High); and Edmonton (Commonwealth Stadium).

“It’s been an incredibly competitive process. All the cities have been amazing, this was a very, very difficult choice,” said Colin Smith, FIFA’s Chief Competitions & Events Officer.

“You can’t imagine a World Cup coming to the U.S. and the capital city not taking a major role, as well. We’ll be engaging with all of the cities that weren’t chosen to host matches. There are still lots of other areas of cooperation and working together and celebration. We know what a fan fest on the National Mall would be like.”

Houston’s selection completes a successful four-year journey by a bid committee that sold FIFA on not just the structural advantages of NRG Stadium, but also the culture of one of the most diverse cities in the United States.

The selection is a landmark moment for a city that has already hosted three Super Bowls, three NCAA Men’s Final Fours – with one more on the way next year, as well as the College Football Playoff National Championship set for 2024.

The economic impact of the World Cup in Houston would be massive. Just for perspective, Canetti said the 2017 Super Bowl generated around $347 million in revenue for the region. A World Cup host site? That could bring upwards of $1 billion.

In all, 60 matches with a 48-country field are planned for the “United 2026” World Cup, which will be hosted by three countries for the first time in tourney history.

So what’s next? While a match schedule is still yet to be announced, Houston is likely staging five or six matches total.

FURTHER READING

FIFA cut the final 16 venues from a pool of 23 U.S., Mexican, and Canadian cities. Other than Houston, the other host cities include: