12
JUN
GROUP G · MD1
🇧🇪Belgiumvs🇹🇳Tunisia
European-African opener · Belgium's reboot cycle
20:00 CT01:00 GMT (13th)
72,220
Capacity (WC config)
7
WC 2026 matches
2002
Opened · $352M build
Grass
Surface · converted for WC
7 mi
South of downtown
02 · The Soul
Houston's bowl, built for everything.
The first NFL stadium with a retractable roof. Opened in 2002, ahead of AT&T (2009) and Mercedes-Benz (2017) by a decade-plus. The template.
Year-round it hosts the Texans, the Houston Rodeo, and college football's biggest games. No other US stadium hosts a broader portfolio.
The slate: seven WC matches including a knockout. Houston's Latin diaspora — the largest outside Los Angeles — makes every group-stage night a derby.
03 · The Fixtures · 7 matches
Every game played here.
Group + R16. The Texas heat is the unseen opponent.
17
JUN
GROUP C · MD1★ Showpiece
🇫🇷Francevs🇩🇪Germany
The European heavyweight clash · group decider stakes
15:00 CT20:00 GMT
22
JUN
GROUP B · MD3
🇲🇦Moroccovs🇸🇳Senegal
African derby · the diaspora doubles up
18:00 CT23:00 GMT
25
JUN
GROUP F · MD3★ Group decider
🇯🇵Japanvs🇳🇱Netherlands
Asia-Europe matchup with knockout stakes
15:00 CT20:00 GMT
04
JUL
ROUND OF 32
TBDvsTBD
Single elimination · winner to R16
17:00 CT22:00 GMT
07
JUL
ROUND OF 16
R32 winnervsR32 winner
Houston's biggest WC night
14:00 CT19:00 GMT
04 · The Map
Pinned.
NRG Park is the anchor · multiple venues, the rodeo grounds, the Astrodome shell.
🏆NRG Stadium
—Stadium · NRG Park
2026 WC venue · 72,220 capacity, retractable roof.
🌳Astrodome (closed)
0.1 miParks · NRG Park
The original 8th wonder of the world · closed since 2006, still standing next door.
🚆METRORail Stadium Park
0.1 miTransit · NRG Park
Red Line · direct ride to downtown · the cleanest WC transit option in Houston.
🛏Hilton Houston Plaza
2.0 miHotels · Medical Center
Closest full-service hotel · 5-min Uber to the gate.
🍽Tex-Mex on Main
2.4 miRestaurants · Midtown
Pre-match Tex-Mex must-stop · packed three hours before kickoff.
🎉Discovery Green
6 miFan zones · Downtown Houston
WC fan festival site · big screens, food trucks, downtown.
✈George Bush IAH
23 miAirports · Houston
The major Houston airport · 35-min drive on a good day.
06 · Getting There
Three ways in.
Houston is a car town. METRORail Red Line is the clean option from downtown.
🚆 From downtown / Midtown
METRORail Red Line
15 mindoor to gate
$1.25one-way
12 minfrequency
1
Board METRORail Red Line southbound.
2
Get off at Stadium Park / Astrodome.
3
2-min walk to the gate.
🚗 From IAH airport
I-45 South
40 minoff-peak
$30+on-site lots
20 lotsNRG Park
1
I-45 South → exit Kirby Dr.
2
Follow signage to NRG Park.
3
Pre-paid parking strongly recommended.
🚌 From Galveston / suburbs
Park-and-ride to METRORail
50 mindoor to gate
$5one-way
20 minfrequency
1
Drive to a METRORail park-and-ride (Reliant Park).
2
Board Red Line southbound.
3
Avoid surface streets — Loop 610 gets stuck.
07 · The Pitch & the Stands
The retractable that started everything.
First NFL stadium with a retractable roof. Closes in Houston's June heat. **The pitch is the rebuild · natural grass installed three weeks before opener.**
Field specifications
// FIFA-spec for WC 2026
SurfaceNatural grass · Bermuda
SourceWest Coast Turf
Dimensions105m × 68m
RoofRetractable · climate-controlled
LightingLED · 2,800 lux
Pitch installed3 weeks before opener
After WCReverts to artificial turf for NFL
LowerClubUpperVIP
08 · The History
Before it was a World Cup venue.
Opened in 2002. The biggest moments before WC 2026, in reverse.
2026
🏆 FIFA World Cup · 7 matches
Houston's WC slate.
Seven matches including a knockout. Houston's Latin diaspora puts derby energy on every group-stage night.
2017
🏈 Super Bowl LI · Patriots 34-28 Falcons (OT)
The 28-3 comeback.
The greatest comeback in Super Bowl history · Brady's fifth ring, the night the Falcons never recovered from.
2024
🏀 NCAA Final Four · Men's basketball
College hoops crowns its champion.
73,000+ for the final · Houston Final Fours always sell out the bowl.
2004
🏈 Super Bowl XXXVIII · Patriots 32-29 Panthers
The Adam Vinatieri kick.
Vinatieri's last-second field goal. Janet Jackson's halftime · the cultural moment.
2002
🏟 Opening · Texans inaugural game
The doors open.
First Houston Texans regular-season game · the first NFL game with a retractable roof closed in real time.
★ The deepest line on this file
The R16.
Tuesday · 7 July 2026 · 14:00 CT
34
Days
05
Hours
33
Minutes
56
Seconds
Houston's biggest WC night · the round of 16 with the Texas heat as the third opponent.
09 · Stadium trivia
Five facts for the Houston heat.
For the Tex-Mex line on Main.
First NFL retractable roof
Beat AT&T (2009) by 7 years. Houston was the template the rest of the league copied.
The Rodeo lives here
The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo uses NRG every February · 2.5 million attendees · the biggest indoor live event in the world.
Astrodome is still next door
The original 8th wonder of the world is still standing 50 yards from NRG · the original domed stadium, closed since 2006.
Two Super Bowls and counting
XXXVIII (2004) and LI (2017) · the only NFL stadium to host two Super Bowls in its first 15 years.
METRORail Red Line is direct
The only WC venue with a dedicated rail stop named after the stadium · Stadium Park/Astrodome.
The deepest truth in the file
Seven matches.The first retractable roof the NFL ever built.The Texas heat is the third opponent.
Host venue2026 R1672,220 capacityFirst retractableHouston diaspora