HOUSTON – A lifetime’s wait is becoming a reality for many Houstonians: the FIFA World Cup is coming to Houston.
The Bayou City will be showcased on soccer’s biggest stage when Canada, the United States and Mexico host in 2026. It will be the first time Houston will host matches after not forming part of USA 1994.
The announcement came on Thursday as FIFA confirmed every host city for the 2026 tournament in a worldwide televised announcement from New York City. A public celebration will be hosted by the Houston bid committee on Friday.
"When you say you're a global international city, we needed the World Cup," remarked Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, putting the World Cup atop the major sporting events that Houston has hosted in its past. "And so, 2026 is coming, but the benefits are starting to flow even right now."
The Houston 2026 World Cup Bid Committee is a subsidiary of the Harris County – Houston Sports Authority. Former Houston Dynamo and Dash President of Business Operations Chris Canetti was named the President of the bid in January 2019.
Houston philanthropist John Arnold was added as the chairman of the committee to help with funding. Members of Houston Dynamo ownership and local business leaders were also added to the committee and worked in conjunction with city and county politicians.
"The community ultimately is the winner," declared Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. "This is the community that compelled FIFA to choose us as a host city, for this, the largest World Cup ever in the history of the World Cup. So we're absolutely thrilled. absolutely proud and personally, I'm just beside myself with joy."
Former Dynamo and U.S. men’s national team players DaMarcus Beasley and Brian Ching and Houston Dash and U.S. women’s national team player Jane Campbell were also added as ambassadors.
"Being able to be a small part of the process of bringing the World Cup here has been pretty special," said former Houston Dynamo great and World Cup veteran Brian Ching. "When it finally happens, I think people don't really realize the magnitude of this and that until you're actually experienced in life. It was one of my best memories in '06, going to Germany and just kind of walking the streets and seeing when people fly in from all over the world, just there to kind of have a good time and celebrate soccer. For Houston, to be able to experience that in the next four years, it's going to be something special."
Ching added that the previous World Cup in 1994 essentially created MLS, and people he's talked to throughout his time around soccer cite their memories of that World Cup as essential. "We're just going to create that many more memories," Ching predicted, "and I think that's only going to help grow soccer exponentially quicker here in the United States."
The other host cities include Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, and Guadalajara, announced as part of a block of five Western cities prior to the Dallas announcements. Kansas City, Atlanta, Monterrey and Mexico City joined Dallas and Houston in the Central region. Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami and New York/New Jersey rounded out the group of host cities, chosen from the East bracket. Cincinnati, Denver, Edmonton, Nashville, Orlando, and Washington D.C./Baltimore failed to make the final cut.