Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo has World Cup fever, just like many across Houston in the last month. But while Hidalgo has been delighting in the globe’s largest sporting event taking place partly in the Bayou City, she also was lucky enough to venture outside of Houston for one match in particular.
Hidalgo shared a collection of photos Saturday night from Miami, where she attended a Group K match between Colombia and Portugal. Hidalgo said she received “an invite” to the event from FIFA, and she delighted in sharing photos of her interactions with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and music legends Gloria and Emilio Stefan, among many others.
It’s hard to blame Hidalgo for snagging tickets to one of the most highly anticipated group-stage matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But there was one curious note for soccer purists: Hidalgo’s parents hail from Colombia, but she opted to split her allegiance between Colombia and Portugal.
“Who will I cheer for? I was born in Colombia, my whole family is there, we have a once-in-a-generation team, and James Rodriguez!” Hidalgo wrote Saturday morning on Instagram. “At the same time 1. I have had fabulous visits with Portuguese Head Coach Roberto Martinez, soccer legend Pepe, and Portugal political leaders, from Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas to Prime Minister Luis Montenegro. 2. We have a wonderful Portuguese community in Houston, that I am becoming closer to And 3. Ronaldo!
“So anyway, I’ll be wearing both Colombian and Portuguese colors!” Colombia and Portugal played to a 0-0 draw on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Hidalgo’s office on Friday night coordinated with the FIFA World Cup Houston host committee, the Boys & Girls Club of America, Interfaith Ministries and a number of local nonprofits to gift 250 World Cup tickets to kids in the Houston area, who attended Cabo Verde’s 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia.
Hidalgo joined the kids in attendance for Houston’s final group-stage match, some of which quickly began rooting for the upstart Cabo Verde squad as it qualified for the knockout rounds for the first time in the nation’s history.
Hidalgo, like many Houstonians, took advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She’ll have two more chances to catch the World Cup in Houston, with a Round of 32 match set for Monday, and a Round of 16 tilt set for July 4.