With the World Cup beginning June 11, the city of Sugar Land is gearing up for fans looking to support their favorite teams.
The setup
Sugar Land officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony June 4 to open the first official FIFA merchandise store in the Greater Houston area and the only store in Fort Bend County.
The store, which is situated in the former AT&T Store at 2191 Texas Drive, will offer official FIFA and Houston Host City merchandise, including jerseys, shirts, hats and posters, said Alison Brooks, who serves as assistant director of tourism for Visit Sugar Land.
“It’s on the corner, it has a really good visibility and access from Hwy. 6 coming in,” Brooks said. "It’s really a great spot in the Town Square.”
What they’re saying
Chris Canetti, president of Houston's World Cup host committee, praised the city and its stakeholders for all it has accomplished in preparing for the tournament as an Official Houston World Cup 2026 Host City Supporter.
“We are here today in Sugar Land because of the great vision of the officials here from Sugar Land, the mayor, the City Council [and] Visit Sugar Land,” Canetti said. “From Day 1, they had a vision to be a part of this World Cup, take advantage of this World Cup and to understand this World Cup is going to have a tremendous impact on our community.”
Sugar Land Mayor Carol McCutcheon said she believes the benefits of the World Cup reach the city culturally as well as financially.
“Sugar Land is embracing opportunities that connect our community to something truly international while supporting tourism, local businesses and economic growth,” McCutcheon said.
Also of note
Houston resident Philip Pedrosa said he was given a special keychain for being one of the first 50 guests to attend the grand opening.
Born in the Netherlands, Pedrosa said he is thankful for Sugar Land opening the store before he sees his home country play Sweden on June 20 at NRG Stadium.
“It’s pretty nice, I like it ... I see some stuff that I haven’t seen anywhere else around town, so I think they got some exclusive stuff, so it’s pretty cool,” he said.
Going forward
The store will be open for the entire length of the World Cup, Brooks said.
Sugar Land will also host eight FIFA World Cup viewing parties in Town Square starting June 11 as Houston hosts seven World Cup matches between June 12 and July 4. The watch parties are free to the public but require prior reservations.
