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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — With the first match of the 2026 World Cup in Houston more than two years away, local organizers are already hard at work.
The immediate focus is on security and transportation planning for the largest event Houston has ever hosted. The expansion of the 2026 World Cup to 48 countries means Houston will become the host city for the largest sporting event in history.
On Friday, World Cup Committee Chairman Chris Canetti said Houston already has a good template for transportation for “all the other” major sporting events the city hosts.
This includes the Super Bowl, the Final Four, and the College Football Playoff national championship game. Canetti added that the World Cup is “on a different scale,” with events planned every day in Houston over the entire five weeks of the World Cup schedule.
RELATED: ‘2024 is a big year’: Houston World Cup committee begins planning for 2026
Canetti looked at the number of visitors Houston will welcome in a recent conversation with FIFA officials. The 2018 World Cup in Russia drew 40,000 fans from Peru to the far-flung Russian host city, even though only 14,000 of them had tickets for the matches.
The 2026 World Cup schedule includes a record 104 games. Janice Burke, CEO of the Harris County Houston Sports Authority, said FIFA is already working with the Department of Homeland Security and the White House on plans to bring fans from around the world to host cities like Houston. He said he was standing.
Canetti estimates the economic impact on the region this summer will be more than $1 billion. Bishop James Dixon, president of the Harris County Sports and Convention Authority, said hosting seven World Cup games at NRG Stadium would be the equivalent of hosting seven Super Bowls and would have an “immeasurable” impact on the local economy. He said he would give it. Dixon said the 2017 Super Bowl had an economic impact of $347 million for Houston, and reminded everyone that it was one game over a week.
Seven matches in the 2026 World Cup will be held at NRG Stadium from June 14th to July 4th.
SEE ALSO: Houston to host 7 FIFA World Cup matches in summer 2026
Fans will have to wait until late 2025 to find out which country will play a World Cup match at NRG Stadium.
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