Skip to main content

Bid Committee Prez: World Cup Would be Boon to Houston

Published Apr 10, 2019 by Maggie Martin

The FIFA World Cup is coming to the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2026. Players will compete in 80 matches across 16 cities, including 10 in the U.S., and Chris Canetti is determined that Houston will be one of them.

The former president of the Houston Dynamo and Dash is now the president of the Houston World Cup Bid Committee. It was formed as part of an effort to bring the 2026 World Cup to Houston and is run by the Harris County – Houston Sports Authority.

Canetti laid out the committee’s efforts at the Greater Houston Partnership’s Arts, Culture, Tourism and Sports Council meeting on April 9. Houston is among 17 finalists vying for those 10 U.S. spots, and Canetti said the committee is aggressively pursuing the bid for Houston.

“We’re not taking anything for granted, or leaving any stone unturned,” said Canetti.

Bringing the world’s most popular sporting event to Houston would be a significant image booster, Canetti said, comparing the World Cup to another popular sporting event—the Super Bowl. He cited preliminary figures from Nielsen, which found the biggest football game in the U.S. drew an average TV audience of just over 98 million people in 2019. By contrast, said Canetti, the broadcast of the World Cup in Russia last year drew a record 3.5 billion people.

Canetti also laid out how bringing the World Cup to Houston would boost our region’s economy. The 2017 Super Bowl, said Canetti, drew 150,000 visitors to Houston over a week of events and brought in $347 million to Greater Houston’s economy. Canetti said by comparison, there would be several World Cup matches here with over 30 days of events, translating to a much larger impact for the region.

Canetti said Houston has a strong case to host the 2026 World Cup. He cited the city's proven track record with the Super Bowl, the excellent hotels, the two international airports and numerous cultural attractions as just some examples of why Houston should host the global sporting event.

“Soccer is indeed the world’s game, and Houston is the most ethnically diverse city in the country. So some might say it’s a perfect match,” Canetti said.

The Houston World Cup Bid Committee is currently refining its application to improve Houston’s chances of winning the bid. A final decision is expected in late-2020 or early-2021.

Learn more about the Partnership’s Arts, Culture, Tourism and Sports Council here.

Related News

Economic Development

Texas Lawmakers Prioritize Economic Growth with New Committees

1/30/25
Every Texas legislative session brings something new: bold policies, fresh faces on the chamber floor, or, in this case, a new focus on making the Texas economy bigger and better. This year, the Texas House and Senate have restructured their standing committees, creating stand-alone panels to emphasize economic development and other key drivers of the state’s economy. In the Texas Senate, returning Senator Phil King will chair the newly formed Committee on Economic Development. Previously, the committee was a policy-combination focusing on Natural Resources and Economic Development. King, who previously served as Vice-Chair for the Senate Committee on Business & Commerce, said he is excited to take on the leadership position in the upper chamber. “I am honored that Lt. Gov. Patrick has entrusted me to lead the Economic Development Committee in Texas, which has the eighth largest economy in the world,” Senator King said in a statement to the Partnership. “We will use this session to discuss policy solutions that can continue to drive our state's economic growth and prosperity over the next two years and beyond. I look forward to hearing from business leaders and local officials from across the state on how we can build upon the Texas Miracle in their communities.” The Texas House created the Committee on Trade, Workforce, and Economic Development. Under first-term Speaker Dustin Burrows, the House will have a committee focused on the workforce and expanding the talent pipeline for the first time. Committee assignments for the Texas House have yet to be released.  Burrows told the Partnership he is committed to seeing Texas build a bigger and better economic engine for future generations.  "The Texas House remains focused on delivering legislative solutions that will strengthen our state's mighty economy and provide more economic opportunities for hardworking Texans," said Speaker Dustin Burrows. "This session, the House's new Committee on Trade, Workforce, and Economic Development will take a comprehensive approach to ensuring businesses have the freedom and tools to thrive in our state, with a newly created subcommittee concentrating on policies to bolster the Texas workforce. The House will also prioritize support for small businesses through legislation that aims to unleash the power of Texas entrepreneurship in communities across the state by cutting taxes and reforming the regulatory process." It’s too soon to say which bills will go to these committees. For now, a review of the interim reports from the previous committees points to support of key policy priorities for the Partnership: Early Childhood Education: the House and Senate both recognized a statewide need for expanding programs that support families and young children in education/developmental programs The successful implementation of the Lone Star Workforce of the Future Fund [HB 1755 - 89(R)] is compelling lawmakers to invest further in innovation and growth for apprenticeship and training programs. Expanding the available workforce talent pool will remain a priority for the 89th Texas Legislature. Click below to read the full interim reports from the following committees: Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Economic Development House Committee on International Relations and Economic Development To learn more about the Partnership's Legislative Priorities, click here. For more updates and alerts on the Texas Legislature, click here to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Read More

Related Events

Economic Development

State of Education

The Greater Houston Partnership invites you to the State of Education on Friday, May 9 at the Marriott Marquis. The success of our region relies on a thriving education system providing…

Learn More
Learn More
Executive Partners