Sophia Jozwiak/Houston Public Media
World Cup 2026 signage on NRG Stadium on June 3, 2026.
It’s a bit more difficult to get to NRG Stadium now — seven days out from the start of the 2026 World Cup. FIFA’s full “lockdown” of the stadium is now in effect, meaning screening locations and access protocols are in place through the final soccer match in Houston on July 4.
“It’s essentially the same posture you’re going to see on match days,” John Coppins, vice president of operations for Houston’s World Cup host committee, told Houston Public Media. “Security screening, weapon detection systems; if you’re going to come on the property there, it’s the same experience you would have if you were coming to a match, as far as the items you can and can’t bring.”
Fencing around the property also restricts access to the park grounds, with increased law enforcement and private security presence on the grounds.
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Even finding the stadium may look a little different. Search for the name “NRG Stadium” on Google Maps or Apple Maps, and the maps will direct to the stadium with a new name for the summer — Houston Stadium.
Google Maps
If you search “NRG Stadium” on Google Maps, as pictured, the result turns up as “Houston Stadium,” which is what FIFA will call the stadium during the 2026 World Cup.
While FIFA has exclusive use of the stadium during the World Cup, the stadium will be called “Houston Stadium” rather than NRG Stadium (or its upcoming new name after the tournament, Reliant Stadium).
All NRG-related signage has been removed from the stadium. FIFA-related banners now deck the stadium. Even some signage around the grounds now advertises “Reliant Park,” the name it’ll go by beginning in August.
Sophia Jozwiak/Houston Public Media
Signage for Reliant Park, formerly NRG Park, in Houston on June 3, 2026
“I mean, everything’s left,” Chris Canetti, president of Houston’s World Cup host committee, said with a laugh. “We’re in the process right now of every little detail being completed. So if you were to go to the Fan Fest, or you were to go to the stadium, or even if you were dealing with ticketing issues, all the little details are being finalized right now.”
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Emergency responders, too, including the Houston Police Department and the Houston Fire Department, have said they’re fully prepared for safety and security, both at the stadium and other FIFA sites.
“We’ve looked at everything, finalized everything,” Thomas Muñoz, chief of the Houston Fire Department, said Tuesday. “Right now, we’re just waiting for game day, and ensure that everything’s there. We’ve really continued to plan even up to the last minute, but that’s just to finalize some things.”
Eight miles away from NRG Stadium, the Houston host committee is continuing to prep the Fan Festival, a free, 34-day event where each World Cup match will be livestreamed. Prior to its first day of operations on June 11, the Fan Festival will have a soft launch on June 9.
Michael Adkison/Houston Public Media
The main stage of the FIFA Fan Festival, including structures for a large shading feature, as pictured under construction on May 29, 2026.
“We will have everything completed by then,” said Patti Smith, director of the Fan Festival. “We are completely on schedule, considering what you see here has gone up in about four weeks.”
The World Cup begins in Mexico City on June 11. The first of seven matches in Houston will take place on June 14.
Houston Public Media’s Sophia Jozwiak contributed to this report.