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Houston was selected among FIFA’s second release of potential “homes away from homes” for the 2026 World Cup after missing out during the first round.
Houston may serve as a headquarters for an international team competing in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In addition to hosting seven 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, Houston has been named as a potential base camp — or a “home away from home” — for international teams during the tournament. Houston Sports Park at 12131 Kirby Drive in southern Houston will serve as the training site, while Uptown’s Omni Houston Hotel is the paired hotel for the hub.
FIFA released its initial list of potential hub sites in June, but Houston was not included. At the time, the Harris County Houston Sports Authority said it was working with FIFA to join the list. The soccer organizing body unveiled its second list on Nov. 21, while additional options will be added in 2025.
But making the list doesn’t guarantee Houston will host a team. Competing teams will submit their final selections for base camps following the 2026 World Cup final draw, which is anticipated to be staged in December 2025.
“It’s a positive thing to have a potential base camp coming to Houston,” Chris Canetti, HCHSA executive and president of the Houston 2026 World Cup Host Committee, told the Houston Business Journal. “We’re going to have a lot of excitement and a lot of energy around this World Cup, and the base camps will only add to that if we’re able to have one of the 48 teams competing use Houston as their headquarters.”
During the group stage of the tournament, the hubs will serve as the primary base for teams, where they will train, rest and prepare for their matches.
Houston Sports Park is the training facility for the Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash. Houston Dynamo FC owner Ted Segal previously said the club plans to make fan-facing and player-focused upgrades to the facilities ahead of the tournament. Canetti thanked the club for making the complex available during the 2026 World Cup.
“It’s a complicated matter for them to share their practice facility and interrupt their normal course of business,” Canetti said. “They’ve been great partners, and I’m very appreciative of their efforts to work through this.”
Meanwhile, the Omni Houston Hotel underwent considerable renovations in 2018 after sustaining significant flooding from Hurricane Harvey. That included a complete rebuild and redesign of the entire first floor; a new high-end retail venue, coffee and wine bar, and whiskey room; and additional meeting space.
The host committee is working on adding a second potential hub site for Houston, Canetti said. The city always considered having two base camps, he said, and it has another three to four months to be able to secure the second.
FIFA also recently launched its first-ever hospitality deposit program. The program gives fans priority access to ticket-inclusive hospitality packages. Fans can purchase vouchers, with prices beginning at $500, which will allow them to be first in line when hospitality sales begin in early 2025.
The program is managed by On Location, FIFA’s hospitality provider for the 2026 World Cup.
Both the host committee and Houston Dynamo are marketing the program to various stakeholders, Canetti said. Hospitality package options include suites; club spaces; and pre-game, during-game and post-game premium spaces.
Additionally, FIFA said general ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup will begin after the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, which will be held June 15 to July 13, 2025.
“It all represents that we’re getting a lot closer here,” Canetti said. “Once we turn into the new year in 2025, it’s going to feel like we’re in sprint mode to the finish line.”
Houston will host seven total matches for the 2026 World Cup, all at NRG Stadium. Those matches include five group-stage games and two knockout-round matches.
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