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Houston stadium to again bear 'Reliant' name after more than a decade

Houston Public Media News 88.7 | By Kyle McClenagan

Published April 16, 2026 at 6:07 PM EDT

Rendering of the new reliant stadium name.

The NRG Stadium name being remove ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the planned rebranding of the stadium to "Reliant Park."

The “NRG Stadium” name being removed ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the planned rebranding of the venue to “Reliant Stadium.”

The home of the Houston Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, NRG Stadium, is returning to its roots.

The venue is being rebranded as "Reliant Stadium," its original name when it opened in 2002, according to NRG Energy Inc.

The name change will also apply to the grounds surrounding the stadium, which will again be referred to as "Reliant Park." The grounds are home to the annual Houston rodeo and the historic Astrodome.

Although the stadium and surrounding park are owned by Harris County and managed by the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation, Houston-based company Reliant Energy secured a 32-year naming rights deal for the stadium in 2000 for $300 million, naming it "Reliant Stadium." In 2009, Reliant's retail business was acquired by NRG Energy, which renamed the stadium "NRG Stadium" in 2014.

Meghan McConomy, the vice president of brand strategy and marketing for NRG, said the Reliant name will return to the stadium in August, just in time for the start of the next NFL season.

"We did do a survey with Reliant customers, and 90% actually supported the change back to Reliant Stadium," McConomy said. "[The response] has been super positive. ... A lot of people are saying, ‘I never stopped calling it Reliant Stadium."

An artist’s rendering of the “Reliant Stadium” name at the Houston Texans’ home venue.

The timing of the name change works out for several reasons, McConomy said, because this upcoming season is the 25th anniversary of the Houston Texans. Also, the current NRG Stadium branding is being removed in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

During the World Cup in June and July, when Houston will host seven matches as part of the international soccer tournament, the venue will be referred to as "Houston Stadium" because of FIFA’s sponsorship policies.

"And then with the NFL season starting in August and the Texans celebrating their 25th season, it really provided that perfect opportunity for us to go back to the original name," McConomy said. "The Texans started 25 years ago at Reliant Stadium, and so we're bringing it back."

The NRG branding around the stadium started to be removed in April. On Thursday, some of the major signage was removed.

"It's fun to announce something that's meaningful to the city and working across our partners — the Houston Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo – it's been really fun," McConomy said.