Will Houston host 2026 FIFA World Cup?
FILE-A general view of Brazuca and the FIFA World Cup Trophy in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Alexandre Loureiro/Getty Images for adidas)
HOUSTON - Houston will soon know if it will host one of the biggest sporting tournaments in the world. FIFA announced that it will name the host cities of 2026 FIFA World Cup on June 16 during a news conference in New York.
The Bayou City is among 16 candidate host cities in the U.S. that are currently in the bidding for the right to stage matches for the tournament. Three stadiums each in Canada and Mexico are expected to be used.
The 2026 World Cup will be the first to have 48 teams and first to be hosted by three nations, which FIFA selected back in June 2018.
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The bid plan envisioned 16 total sites for the tournament, with Canada and Mexico hosting 10 games each and the U.S. hosting 60 games, including all from quarterfinals on.
The current candidate host cities are:
United States
- Arlington, Texas, AT&T Stadium
- Atlanta, Mercedes-Benz Stadium
- Baltimore, M&T Bank Stadium
- Cincinnati, Paul Brown Stadium
- Denver, Empower Field at Mile High
- East Rutherford, New Jersey, MetLife Stadium
- Foxborough, Massachusetts, Gillette Stadium
- Houston, NRG Stadium
- Inglewood, California, SoFi Stadium
- Kansas City, Missouri, Arrowhead Stadium
- Miami Gardens, Florida, Hard Rock Stadium
- Nashville, Tennessee, Nissan Stadium
- Orlando, Florida, Camping World Stadium
- Pasadena, California, Rose Bowl
- Philadelphia, Lincoln Financial Field
- Santa Clara, California, Levi’s Stadium
- Seattle, Lumen Field
Canada
- Edmonton, Alberta, Commonwealth Stadium
- Toronto, BMO Field
- Vancouver, British Columbia, B.C. Place
Mexico
- Guadalajara, Estadio Akron
- Mexico City Estadio Azteca
- Monterrey, Estadio BBVA
The Houston 2026 World Cup Bid Committee has been working for years to show FIFA that the city is more than ready and capable of welcoming the global tournament.
The committee has spearheaded projects to bring more soccer to Houston's communities, including its ‘Grow the Game’ initiative and even has plans for a non-profit Soccer Innovation Institute.
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Back in October, FIFA officials came to see what Houston had to offer the World Cup community if it's chosen as a host city. They had a tour of NRG Stadium with 72,000 seat capacity, and possible team training locations.
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If Houston is selected as a host city, the local economy could receive more than five times the revenue produced when the city hosted the World Cup. City officials say they're looking at a potential billion dollars in revenue.
FIFA said in its announcement on Friday that "while stadiums represent an essential element of the selection process, FIFA is considering the overarching proposals presented by each candidate host city, which are broader in nature and also include ancillary events and venues, and key aspects such as sustainability, human rights, legacy, general infrastructure and financial impact."
Hopefully, Houston has been able to present exactly that. For now, we'll have to wait until June 16 to find out if it's got enough.
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Later this year the 2022 World Cup will kick off in Qatar. Games can be watched live on FOX 26, FOX Sports and FS1.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.