FIFA World Cup: Houston leaders ready to win 2026 host city bid

Local support piles on for Houston to host FIFA World Cup games in 2026. The leaders are preparing their push. And Houston can expect to win.

Supporters know Houston’s history through three Super Bowls. The city hosted Super Bowls VIII in 1974, XXXVIII in 2004 and LI in 2017. The FIFA World Cup in 2026 is like hosting those, plus two more – all in the same month.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner researched the impact. Winning a bid to host World Cup matches would bring five games to Houston in 30 days, with attendance reaching standing-room-only for each month. It would be a staggering number of spectators and dollars, not to mention publicity.

Houston competes with 16 other cities for 10 U.S. host spots. The decision comes late 2020. Houston billionaire John Arnold offers his services as chairman in the effort for the Houston Sports Authority and Houston World Cup 2026 Bid Committee.

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One important thing to note regarding the appointment: Arnold has attended every FIFA World Cup since 1994.

Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash represent the first organizations to join the Houston effort as backers. Former Dynamo-Dash President Chris Canetti left to serve as President of the bid committee.

When the World Economic Forum has looked at World Cup bid efforts, they give a mixed economic review. There exists significant expense to host the games, often including building new, profoundly expensive stadiums. For instance, Brazil’s greatest World Cup stadium got torn down, replaced with a parking lot, the forum notes.

However, the organization gets more positive about cities, such as Houston, that already possess a strong, working infrastructure for world-class events. If Houston needs any improvements, they’d fit the forum’s category of minor improvements to existing sporting, hospitality or mobility infrastructure. That’s if any deficiencies got identified and haven’t been worked on since the last Super Bowl.

The World Economic Forum recognizes that it is unfair to put an accountant’s pencil on any FIFA World Cup bid. In fact, it’s not even accurate.

The forum agrees with a point of view like Mayor Turner, who said the publicity alone from hosting the World Cup 2026 games reaches a nearly unfathomable point. The forum suggests it allows cities like Houston to send a signal to the rest of the world, one that is irreplicable by any other competition.

The New York Times thinks, in some instances, hosting these events just might pay off. After hosting the Olympics, some nations report an increase in trade. There is no attempt, however, to calculate how similar FIFA World Cup events would work. The latest estimated economic impact for each city now stands at up to $450 million.

Houston leaders say they’re ready for that, including hosting five games and a month of activities. Their gathering more supporters and telling them to get ready. Because Houston’s going to get their bid.