The setup
Houston joined the other 10 host cities—including Atlanta, Kansas City and New York—in a global event Jan. 27 to mark 500 days until the games begin.
FIFA officials said in a Monday news release that they anticipate more than five million fans will attend the tournament across Canada, Mexico and the U.S., with six billion more engaging with the newly expanded 48-team competition worldwide.
The 500-day announcement is the first in a series of significant milestones that FIFA will conduct throughout the next year.
According to the FIFA website, these events and announcements will begin to reveal key information on the tournament as it gets closer, including the unveiling of the Host City posters, the launching of ticket and hospitality sales, and the final draw for the tournament.
Chris Canetti, president of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Host Committee, revealed during Houston's celebration that tickets for the event will go on sale this fall, and the final draw to determine the matches will be conducted in December.
A closer look
Houston was selected in February to host seven matches of the World Cup, including five group-stage matches and two knockout-round games, for the first time in history.
City and county leaders in attendance at the Jan. 27 news conference said that the city will begin to prepare to host the games at NRG Stadium, which includes making two key modifications to the infrastructure, including:
- Enlarging the field by removing seats in the corners to conform to FIFA standards
- Figuring out how to plant grass on the currently concrete field that will last for 40 days
More details
Houston Mayor John Whitmire also noted during the news conference that the city will need to face some pressing challenges head on in 2025 to prepare to host the tournament, including infrastructure, transportation and public safety.
"Public safety is critical," he said. "You don't just do it with the number of officers; you have to be smart. You have to use technology and be collaborative."
Whitmire said he expects to get help from the state and county to create a public safety task force during the event. He said changes will also need to be made to METRO lines and the infrastructure around NRG; however, no specific details were revealed.
"I go to meetings on a regular basis about how we have to improve 'this' or 'that' for the World Cup, and I interrupt them to say, 'No, we need to get it ready for Houstonians and if we get it ready for Houstonians and Harris County residents on a daily basis, we will be ready for FIFA.'"
One more thing
Houstonians can also look forward to seeing more details soon on FanFest specifics, according to Harris County-Houston Sports Authority officials.
EaDo was selected as the site for the FIFA World Cup Fan Festival in June, a 38-day event held throughout the entire tournament in Houston where residents can watch the tournament, engage with the local community and celebrate the event.
"The Fan Festival is an opportunity for us to get creative and to put our local flair into it," Canetti said. "This is where we will see a lot of Houston culture be brought out and where the visitors and guests from around the world can experience Houston at its finest."
