Announcement is expected about 4 p.m. today of which cities will host the FIFA World Cup in 2026, and Houston is hoping to be among them.
If selected, Houston would be one of several North American locales to host games, and the economic impact on the city would be gigantic - some predict revenue exceeding $1 billion.
Other cities in contention are Atlanta, Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Edmonton, Guadalajara, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Miami, Monterrey, Nashville, New York/New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington DC/Baltimore.
FIFA is expected to pick between 16 and 19 host cities, 10 to 12 of which would be in the U.S.
Each city made a pitch to FIFA, touting their stadiums, training facilities, accommodations, public transportation and public funding. In Houston, matches would take place at NRG Stadium.
Wednesday, a now-deleted tweet from the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority asked the public to join them in celebrating Houston being named a host city. It was soon replaced with another tweet saying, "IF Houston is selected as a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup there will be a celebration party on Friday, June 17."
Some observers suggested that the sports authority may have inside information on the bid, but it has denied that.
Houston 2026 World Cup Bid Committee President Chris Canetti says the city had very productive meetings with FIFA and believes Houston stacks up well as a host city.
The U.S., Mexico and Canada won the 2026 World Cup hosting prize through a joint bid. The 2022 World Cup will be hosted solely by Qatar with the first match at 4 a.m. Houston time Sun., Nov. 20, on Fox and FS1.