Michael Adkison/Houston Public Media
Fans take photos of the original FIFA World Cup, which visited Houston on May 3, 2026.
When Mango Cartagena woke up Sunday morning, he asked himself if it was really worth waiting in line, standing in the sun, to see the original FIFA World Cup trophy, which was making a stop in Houston over the weekend as part of an international tour.
Ultimately, he decided it was, threw on his jersey for the Mexican national soccer team, and got in line.
“I’m going on three hours now,” he told a Houston Public Media reporter Sunday afternoon, still with about a third of the line remaining before he could see the trophy. “I actually do [feel the excitement]. You can see people playing out here in the park. I kind of wanted to kick a ball or two, but you know, I’m trying to stay professional and wait in line.”
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Michael Adkison/Houston Public Media
Thousands of soccer fans visited Houston’s TMC Helix Park to see the FIFA World Cup on May 3, 2026.
Cartagena was one of thousands of soccer fans who came to TMC Helix Park in the Medical District. Though rain on Friday had brought cooler temperatures throughout the weekend, the sun still shined on the long line. Officials handed out water bottles to the fans.
Heading into the weekend, Coca-Cola, the sponsor of the World Cup trophy tour, anticipated somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 fans would attend Houston’s stop over the weekend, according to a spokesperson from Coca-Cola and Sunwest Communications. Instead, they estimated between 10,000 and 15,000 fans attended.
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In the park, kids dribbled a soccer ball to one another. Dozens of adults found shade and seating nearby. Fans wore jerseys from national teams across the globe — Mexico, Argentina, Portugal, and more. Many used umbrellas to block the sun.
Jose Gomez Rivero had been in line for an hour, with much of the line to go through. Standing in the shade of a tree, though, he was in high spirits on Sunday.
“I’m just feeling excited to see World Cup firsthand,” he said. “We’ve always seen it on TV, when it was pretty far. … Now it’s some minutes away. It’s pretty exciting to see it.”
Michael Adkison/Houston Public Media
The FIFA World Cup trophy, a 14-pound, 18-carat solid gold trophy, on display in Houston on May 3, 2026.
The wait was well worth it for fans, though. After waiting in the lengthy line, they approached the 14-pound, 18-carat solid gold trophy, which was encased in a glass chamber for fans to photograph.
“It’s really exciting,” Bry Cantu said, walking out with her family from the dark room of the trophy and into the sun. “We’ve never seen the trophy in person.”
The Houston stop was the last opportunity to see the trophy in Texas and one of the last chances to see it entirely before the start of the World Cup on June 11. A total of seven matches will be played in Houston between June 14 and July 4.
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Prior to the start of competition, the trophy will be on display in Mexico City, where the tournament will kick off. Since January, the trophy has been on an international tour that took the coveted prize to 30 different countries over the course of 150 days.
Originally, winners were allowed to keep the trophy until the next tournament. Since 2006, however, the trophy has been awarded only in an official ceremony, and the winning team is then given an exact replica.
The Argentina national soccer team holds the most recent World Cup title.