Inside the FIFA Fan Festival in Houston.
Houston is hosting seven matches and potentially hundreds of thousands of visitors for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which kicks off Thursday in Mexico City.
Navigating the downtown Houston area during the international soccer tournament figures to take more logistical coordination than usual. The first match in Houston is scheduled for Sunday at NRG Stadium — which is being called “Houston Stadium” by FIFA — and the last local match will be July 4.
Here’s everything you need to know about the tournament in Houston, from free watch parties to transportation tips.
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Key match dates
Matches at NRG Stadium (known as Houston Stadium for World Cup)
Sunday, June 14 at noon | Germany vs. Curaçao
Wednesday, June 17 at noon | Portugal vs. Democratic Republic of Congo
Saturday, June 20 at noon | Netherlands vs. Sweden
Tuesday, June 23 at noon | Portugal vs. Uzbekistan
Friday, June 26 at 7 p.m. | Cabo Verde vs. Saudi Arabia
Thursday, June 29 at noon | Round of 32
Saturday, July 4 at noon | Round of 16
USA group-stage matches
Friday, June 12 at 8 p.m. | USA vs. Paraguay in Los Angeles
Friday, June 19 at 2 p.m. | USA vs. Australia in Seattle
Thursday, June 25 at 9 p.m. | USA vs. Türkiye in Los Angeles
Mexico group-stage matches
Thursday, June 11 at 2 p.m. | Mexico vs. South Africa in Mexico City
Thursday, June 18 at 8 p.m. | Mexico vs. Korea Republic in Guadalajara
Wednesday, June 24 at 8 p.m. | Mexico vs. Czechia in Mexico City
Final rounds
Thursday, July 9 at 3 p.m. | Quarterfinal in Boston
Friday, July 10 at 2 p.m. | Quarterfinal in Los Angeles
Saturday, July 11 at 4 p.m. | Quarterfinal in Miami
Saturday, July 11 at 8 p.m. | Quarterfinal in Kansas City
Tuesday, July 14 at 2 p.m. | Semifinal in Arlington
Wednesday, July 15 at 2 p.m. | Semifinal in Atlanta
Saturday, July 18 at 4 p.m. | Playoff for third place in Miami
Sunday, July 19 at 2 p.m. | Final in New Jersey
All times are in Central Daylight Time. See the full FIFA World Cup 2026 match schedule here.
Where to watch
Free watch parties
FIFA Fan Festival Houston | 2301 McKinney St., East Downtown Houston
The official World Cup watch party in Houston
Open June 11 through July 19 on all match days (closed July 8, 12, 13, 16 and 17)
First come, first served
Shell Energy Stadium | 2200 Texas Ave., East Downtown Houston
Indoor stadium watch parties for Mexico and USA matches as well as the final match
June 11, 12, 18, 19 and 24, and July 19
Ticketed
GreenStreet | 1201 Fannin St., Downtown Houston
Outdoor watch parties with rotating activities
June 12, 18, 21, 24 and 27
Ticketed
Hermann Park Commons | 6001 Fannin St., Texas Medical Center
Outdoor watch parties with family-friendly activities
June 12-14, 17, 19-21, 23 and 26-29, and July 3-5
Open to the public
Levy Park | 3801 Eastside St., Houston’s Upper Kirby
Outdoor watch parties with family-friendly activities
June 11, 12, 18, 19, 24 and 28, and July 1, 6, 9-11, 14, 15, 18 and 19
Open to the public
Sugar Land Town Square | 2711 Plaza Dr., Sugar Land
The official World Cup watch party in Sugar Land
June 11-13, 17, 19 and 27, and July 19
Ticketed
Sports bars and restaurants
A seating area inside the FIFA Fan Fest Houston ahead of the World Cup (Photo Credit: Sophia Jozwiak/Houston Public Media)
Inside Houston Hall at the FIFA Fan Festival Houston (Photo Credit: Sophia Jozwiak/Houston Public Media)
Inside the FIFA Fan Festival in Houston. (Photo Credit: Sophia Jozwiak/Houston Public Media)
Aramco Arena at the FIFA Fan Festival Houston (Photo Credit: Sophia Jozwiak/Houston Public Media)
FIFA Fan Festival information
Entry
Gates open 90 minutes before the first match of the day
Public entrances are on Polk Street and Walker Street
Bags must be clear and 12 x 12 x 6 inches or smaller
Permitted items
National flags that are not on a pole or stick and are no larger than 4 x 2.5 inches
Small collapsible umbrellas
Empty transparent water bottles
Strollers
Prohibited items
Aerosol cans
Alcohol of any kind
Animals (excluding trained service animals in accordance with the ADA)
Animals trained for comfort, therapy, or emotional support do not meet this standard and are not permitted.
Bags or luggage larger than 12 x 12 x 6 inches
Banners or signs over 24 x 24 inches
Balls or any object that can be used as a projectile including inflatable items and sports equipment
Bicycles, tricycles, scooters, hoverboards, skateboards or roller skates (including safety equipment, helmets, etc.)
There is bike parking at the festival’s Polk entrance
Chairs, blankets or stools
Confetti, bulk papers, paper rolls or streamers
Coolers (hard or soft shell)
Drones, unmanned aircraft systems or any remote-controlled aircraft
Fireworks
Illegal substances
Laptops or computers
Laser lights, pointers, large flashlights
Lawn furniture including tents, personal shades or canopies
Mace, pepper spray or chemical irritants
Masks or face coverings (except for medical or religious reasons)
Noisemakers (musical instruments, horns, megaphones, vuvuzelas, whistles)
Outside food and beverage containers including, but not limited to, any glass, aluminum, stainless steel, cans, or large metal containers of any kind (except for guests with medical needs)
Personal or professional cameras with a detachable lens
Unapproved promotional materials, flyers, stickers, giveaways, or items in bulk (guerrilla marketing)
Weapons of any kind (firearms, knives, explosives, blades, scissors, tasers, etc.)
RELATED: FIFA Fan Festival premium tickets are on sale. Here’s what to expect from the otherwise free event
Food and drink
A wide variety of refreshments are available to purchase throughout the festival through food trucks, concession stands and dining halls. Featured food vendors include:
Asian Streetness (loaded wontons, loaded fries, Viet tacos and fries, garlic noodles, Asian street sampler, Korean fried chicken, Asian sweet treats)
Ben’s Soft Pretzels (salted pretzels, cinnamon pretzels, pretzel wrapped sausage)
Chi’Lantro BBQ (Korean BBQ burrito & tacos, Japchae noodle bowl, Korean BBQ rice bowl, original kimchi fries, crispy chi’rito)
Chitalian Pizzeria (pizza, wings, turkey hoagie, French fries, chocolate cake, red velvet cake)
Elotes Bravos (street corn, tostitos preparados, fruit cups, strawberries and cream)
Fredericksburg Mini-Donut Company (glazed and powdered sugar mini donuts)
Goode Company Pop Up Restaurant
BBQ: 2 meat plates, sandwiches and sides
Taqueria Favorites: barbacoa, carnitas, guacamole, quesadillas, street tacos, campechana
Desserts: pecan pie, banana pudding, tres leches, peanut butter bars
Hot Rod Pops (handmade ice pops)
Kurbside Eatz (Asian paratha tacos and quesadillas, kimchi, Halal available)
Little Patagonia Empanadas (traditional Argentinian empanadas and choripan sandwiches)
Makiin Thai (egg rolls, chicken skewers with peanut sauce, dumplings with curry sauce, green papaya salad, Thai curry rice bowl, Thai fried rice bowl)
Munchoes Bakery (chocolate covered apples and cookie sandwiches)
Nacho Business (loaded nachos, walking tacos, buffalo chicken nachos)
Paddys Gourmet Popcorn (popcorn, caramel corn, kettle corn)
Pink’s Pizza (cheese pizza slices, pepperoni pizza slices)
Sushi Inc (potstickers, sushi, poke bowl, onigiri)
The Burger Joint (burgers and hand cut fries)
The Waffle Bus (chicken tenders, waffle fries, waffles)
True Dog Houston (traditional and Halal hot dogs)
A bottle of water costs $6, soft drinks cost $8 and alcoholic beverages range from $13-$18.
Transportation
Park and walk
Streets within the eight-block footprint of the FIFA Fan Festival (southwest of Shell Energy Stadium between Hutchins and Emancipation) are closed 24/7 through Aug. 7
Streets surrounding the fan fest footprint (between Chartres and Hutchins) will temporarily close one hour prior to the start of the festival and reopen following daily closure of the festival
Public parking within a 3-mile radius of the fan fest ranges from $4 to over $100 and can be reserved online through ParkWhiz
Expect to walk at least 12 minutes to the festival
Rideshare
The festival has a dedicated rideshare lot at 2011 Leeland St. for pickup and dropoff
Expect to walk about 7 minutes to the festival
Take the Green or Purple Line to EaDo/Stadium Station
If you’re coming from the Red Line, you can transfer at Central Station
Train fare is $1.25
Expect to walk about 5 minutes to the festival
Sophia Jozwiak/Houston Public Media
World Cup 2026 signage on Houston Stadium on June 3, 2026
Houston Stadium information
Entry
Stadium gates open three hours before kickoff
Bags must be clear and 12 x 12 x 6 inches or smaller
Permitted items
Flags, banners and posters that are made of a fire-resistant material and are no larger than 78 x 60 inches
Small clutch purses or wallets smaller than 4.5 x 6.5 inches
One soft, plastic, 20 ounces (590ml), factory sealed disposable water bottle per person
RELATED: FIFA turned NRG Stadium into ‘Houston Stadium.’ Here’s an exclusive look inside
Prohibited items
Aerosol cans
Alcohol of any kind
Animals (excluding service animals)
Balls and other sports equipment
Deflated footballs purchased on game day at the stadium will be permitted
Bicycles, rollerblades, skateboards, kick scooters and electric scooters
Large objects which the sum of three dimensions of length, width and height exceeds 29.5 inches
Non-transparent bags
Strollers
See full list
Transportation
Parking at Houston Stadium
Official stadium parking will not be available for purchase on site on match day, and is only available to purchase for match ticket holders
Official stadium parking ranges from $99 to $700 and can only be reserved online through JustPark
Expect to walk at least 4 minutes to the stadium
Take the Red Line to Stadium Park/Astrodome Station
If you’re coming from the Green or Purple Line, you can transfer at Central Station
Train fare is $1.25
Expect to walk about 15 minutes to the stadium
Park & Ride
West Loop Transit Center: Free parking, then take the 211 West Loop bus to Fannin South and connect to the Red Line (bus fare is $2)
Fannin South Park & Ride: Paid parking ($50) with direct Red Line access, one stop from the stadium