Downtown
Houston: Get in the Game
Thursday, May 7, 2026
COUNTDOWN CLOCK:
35 days until FanFest opens.
38 days until the first game in Houston.
FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 OVERVIEW
Photo courtesy of Houston
The FIFA World Cup 2026 is coming to Houston Houston will serve as one of the 16 HOST CITIES
We will host 7 matches at HOUSTON STADIUM
Five Group Stage Matches
Two Knockout Round Matches (Rounds of 32 and 16)
Houston matches will be played over 21 DAYS, from JUNE 14 – JULY 4 at NRG Stadium
Aside from the seven matches, we will host a 39-DAY FAN FESTIVAL in East Downtown, which will be a free, ticketed event
The Match Schedule
Space City Bound:
We have three (3) of the Top 10 teams in the world playing here. They include:
#6 Portugal
#7 Netherlands
#9 Germany
Portugal will play here two (2) times.
Cape Verde, Curacao, and Uzbekistan will play here one (1) time.
These three (3) teams have qualified for the World Cup for the first time in history.
Rounding out the field are DR Congo, Saudi Arabia, and Sweden.
Group Stage Schedule:
Knockout Round Schedule:
If the seedings hold, then Brazil and Japan will square off in Houston in the Round of 32 match.
The second most likely scenario is The Netherlands vs. Morocco.
There are too many variables to lay out the Round of 16 possibilities.
Points of Interest
Ronaldo is coming to H-Town!
Portugal features one of the most decorated players in the history of the game and one of the most famous people on the planet in Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo has 668 million Instagram followers, which is the most in the world.
This is his final World Cup.
Will the champion pass through Houston?
Portugal is one of the best teams in the world but has never won a World Cup.
The Netherlands is also one of the best teams in the world and seeking their first World Cup.
They have reached the final and lost on three (3) occasions.
Germany has four (4) World Cups.
Only Brazil has more with five (5).
Big teams bring big excitement.
Portugal, The Netherlands, and Germany are among the most passionate and well-travelled fan bases in the world.
We expect them to bring a significant number of visitors to the region.
The Netherlands may have the biggest travelling contingent of them all.
Tournament Format
World Cup Tournament Format:
48 teams compete in the FIFA World Cup.
They earn their way into it via a multi-year qualification tournament. The 48-team field is allocated across FIFA’s six confederations:
1. UEFA (Europe): 16 spots
2. CAF (Africa): 9 spots
3. AFC (Asia): 8 spots
4. CONCACAF (North & Central America): 6 spots (including hosts USA, Canada, Mexico)
5. CONMEBOL (South America): 6 spots
6. OFC (Oceania): 1 spot
World Cup Tournament Format:
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature 48 teams in 12 groups of four.
The top two teams from each group plus the eight best third-placed teams advance to a 32-team knockout stage.
Each team plays three matches in a round-robin style, facing every other team in their group once.
Teams earn three points for a win and one point for a draw.
The top two teams from each group automatically advance to the knockout stage, along with the eight best third-placed teams across all groups, creating a Round of 32.
The knockout stage is a single-elimination format starting with the Round of 32.
The bracket is predetermined, pairing group winners against runners-up or third-place qualifiers from other groups.
THANK YOU