{"id":230987,"date":"2026-04-01T23:53:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T23:53:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/230987\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T23:53:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T23:53:08","slug":"south-texas-town-to-be-featured-in-fifa-world-cup-campaign","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/230987\/","title":{"rendered":"South Texas town to be featured in FIFA World Cup campaign"},"content":{"rendered":"

What does this summer\u2019s 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/a> have to do with the southernmost parts of Texas? Something that\u2019s big enough to draw a film crew to the picturesque downtown of the city that considers itself the “Capital of the Rio Grande Valley<\/a>,” Harlingen.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, March 31,\u00a0Harlingen Mayor Norma Sepulveda teased a major confluence between her city and the global sports phenomenon that\u2019s slated to take over cities across North America this summer.<\/p>\n

“You may have noticed a film crew around town over the last few weeks,” Sepulveda said in a post<\/a> on her official mayoral Facebook account. “That was one of the world\u2019s largest companies right here in the City of Harlingen, producing a special World Cup campaign,” she added.<\/p>\n

Accompanying the post were four photos showing the unnamed film crew shooting on location at several spots in\u00a0Harlingen\u2019s downtown<\/a> in both interior and exterior spots. One photo in particular appeared to depict a street festival or street market-like scene, with colorful food carts and vendors, and a large helium inflatable floating overhead. The balloon, a large red parrot with bright yellow wings, hinted at the film crew\u2019s collaboration with a semi-professional soccer club that launched just one year ago called the Rio Grande Valley Red Crowns.<\/p>\n

“Jamal and the RGV Red Crowns worked closely with the team to make sure our city, our businesses, and our residents were showcased authentically on a global stage,” Sepulveda said of the secretive film project.<\/p>\n

The mayor told MySA she couldn\u2019t divulge any additional details, but she did express her excitement that Harlingen, which lies less than 15 miles from the Texas\u2013Mexico border, will be featured as the World Cup celebrates matches in cities across the United States, Mexico and Canada this June.<\/p>\n

“While I can\u2019t reveal all the details at this time of the company, it is one of the world\u2019s largest companies and we are so grateful they chose our little slice of heaven here in Harlingen,” Sepulveda said.<\/p>\n

The RGV Red Crowns launched last March. The semi-pro soccer club plays at Harlingen Field, an iconic venue that once served as the home to several semi-professional and minor league baseball teams under the moniker the WhiteWings, a nod to the native species of dove that are ubiquitous in the Valley. The RGV Red Crowns are similarly named after a Valley bird speciality. The parrots are an endangered species native to Mexico. But hundreds of the birds have become established in the Valley since the 1990s. The RGV Red Crowns also say the birds \u2014 and their loud, vibrant characteristics \u2014 perfectly encapsulate the region.<\/p>\n

“Like us, they live and survive as a flock, never alone. \u2026 This red-headed bird of ours is like you and I. It loves being near people, and even endangered, it fights,” the soccer club said in a video<\/a> announcing its launch.<\/p>\n