With less than two months until the start of the 2026 World Cup, officials from FIFA visited Houston on Thursday for a final briefing on preparations for the tournament and said the city is a leading host.
"Houston, I think, is one of the most well-prepared stadiums — but also cities — to host the World Cup," Heimo Schirgi, chief operating officer of the World Cup, said in a press conference on Thursday. "We’ve been working together for many, many years, and I think we are seeing the fruits of all of our work here today."
Schirgi and Amy Hopfinger, chief strategy and planning officer for the tournament, spoke with local officials and other key players in the preparations for the World Cup. They met with Houston Mayor John Whitmire, members of the Harris County Commissioners Court, officials from NRG Park, and transportation affiliates on Thursday.
"Houston is one of the best prepared," Schirgi said, speaking before the commissioners court. "The World Cup is coming. It's a giant platform for whatever you need it to be. It's here. And I think you guys have maximized the opportunity."
Schirgi said, "the only thing that is still missing in the stadium is the pitch," or the grass that will be installed after FIFA takes control of the stadium beginning May 1.
Schirgi and Hopfinger particularly praised the city’s preparations for hosting.
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"Houston's really stood out," Hopfinger said. "Houston knows big events. Houston does big events. There's a lot of certainty when it comes to Houston ... This is not recreating the wheel for Houston. It’s taking what exists and making sure that it’s ready for the World Cup, adding that international flavor into it, adding that World Cup flavor to it."
A controversial, unrelated Houston city ordinance on policing immigration — and pushback from state leaders over it — could inhibit the city's public safety funding for the World Cup. Governor Greg Abbott threatened to withhold public safety grants to the city if the local government did not reverse course. Canetti said the discussion was "out of our control," but "hopefully everything turns out in the right way for the city."
Every host city is required by FIFA to submit a human rights plan, outlining how the city plans to prevent trafficking, labor issues, and discrimination. Human Rights Watch noted that Houston is one of the only cities to have publicly shared its human rights plan, though Hopfinger confirmed other cities have submitted their plans to FIFA as required.
"We've left it up to the cities to display those, to put those up," she said. "Houston made human rights part of their bid going back to the very beginning, as well as their host committee's efforts early on."
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The two FIFA officials also praised Houston's fundraising efforts to invest in long-term projects across the city, such as renewed trails and transportation initiatives, education investments, and green space development. They also said the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of Harris County (METRO) had created a "complete and thoughtful" transportation plan.
"We’ve always emphasized the importance of providing public transport, because the visiting fans don’t have the transportation means to get to the stadium in any other way," Schirgi said. "And I think it’s in every event organizer's interest to try to minimize the traffic around the venue, and this collaborative effort will go a long way."
Canetti also said METRO will not be raising prices for the World Cup.
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