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2026 FIFA World Cup is coming to Houston!

Steven Devadanam
Jun 16, 2022, 5:48 pm
NRG Stadium will host the games. Photo courtesy of NRG Park.

International football fans, unite. Houston is a 2026 FIFA World Cup host city. The news, announced Thursday, June 16, caps a four-year effort by The Houston 2026 World Cup Bid Committee to bring the tournament here.

NRG Stadium will be one of 16 North American venues to host four to six games of the prestigious international football tournament. Canada and Mexico each will host three matches.

Houston 2026 organizers, which include a list of key local players, pitched Houston’s cultural diversity and NRG’s elite stadium status to the FIFA selection committee.

As soccer fans are well aware, the World Cup is a month-long tournament pitting elite and burgeoning sides. Powerhouse teams such as Brazil, Spain, and France face off against smaller nations such as Ghana and Peru in a showdown watched by billions across the globe — many who take vacations to travel or view the action at home.

Notably, pro soccer’s megastars such as the chiseled Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi return to their birth countries to compete, much like the Olympics.

For some perspective on the games’ scope, these World Cup matches could equate to Houston hosting six Super Bowls, by the sheer numbers.

Continue on CultureMap to learn more!

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TEXANS NEWS

Leading candidate for Houston Texans coaching position has emerged, per report

DeMeco Ryans looks like the Texans' choice as the next head coach. Composite image by Brandon Strange.

The Houston Texans have been busy interviewing coaches over the last few weeks, and just this week, the team held second interviews with Giants OC Mike Kafka and Broncos DC Ejiro Evero. The Texans have also interviewed Los Angeles Rams tight ends coach and assistant head coach Thomas Brown, Sean Payton, Lions OC Ben Johnson, Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon, and Eagles OC Shane Steichen. Johnson has taken himself out of the mix and is returning to Detroit.

But according to a new report from Ian Rapoport, the Texans may already have their minds made up about their next head coach.

Former Texans linebacker and current 49ers DC DeMeco Ryans appears to be the top candidate for the Texans, and he is reportedly interested in the position, with a second interview likely to take place next week.

Ryans has been the defensive coordinator for the 49ers over the last two seasons. San Francisco was the best defense in the league in 2022.

Ryans is a popular pick for the position in Houston, and fans will be super excited if he eventually gets the job. Let's hope Rapoport's sources are correct, and the Texans have their new head coach lined up.

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