Houston Races To Finish Downtown Projects Ahead Of World Cup Construction Freeze

FIFA World Cup 2026 looms as a deadline for Houston stakeholders to complete renovations and infrastructure projects.

It’s not just aspirational. FIFA mandates construction be halted in the cities where games will be hosted, said Cassie Hoeprich, director of planning and economic development for Downtown Houston+.

Hoeprich spoke on a panel at a CREW Houston luncheon Wednesday about the commercial real estate impact of seven World Cup matches and a 40-day FIFA Fan Festival in Houston this June and July.

“Communities from The Woodlands to Sugar Land will see an influx of visitors, but we have a unique opportunity here in the urban core to ready ourselves for a massive influx of people,” she said. 

FIFA mandates “pencils down” on construction in or near the World Cup activities area, which extends to projects like the Texas Department of Transportation’s North Houston Highway Improvement Project, Hoeprich said. 

Downtown Houston+ is focused on completing the Main Street Promenade project, which will convert seven blocks of Downtown permanently to pedestrian-only, ahead of the event. 

“It's a very convenient deadline to wave in front of your permitting partners as you’re trying to get this done,” Hoeprich said. 

The addition of shade structures and trees, the smoothing of potholes and the upgrading of infrastructure are also targeted for completion before the World Cup as the event is expected to draw more than 500,000 visitors.

That number is a “very soft” estimate considering the international interest in the event, said Elizabeth Whitton, executive director of Houston’s East Downtown Management District.

Every hotel and short-term rental in Houston and its surrounding areas will likely be fully booked during the World Cup, Hermann Park Conservancy CEO Cara Lambright said. People planning to attend the Texas Republican Convention in Houston, which ends one day before the World Cup begins, have already reported spiking hotel prices around those dates. 

Houston’s handling of the World Cup could prove its ability to host other major events, like the Republican National Convention in 2028, and put it in the “big leagues” amid other serious destinations, Hoeprich said. 

Investments in the public realm have a direct correlation to adjacent real estate, and the World Cup will help build muscle memory for hosting more major events in the future, Lambright said. The ongoing projects will also help visitors enjoy Houston and want to return.

“You do not remember cities that you visited by the inside of the stadium, no matter how well-run the stadium was,” she said. “You remember it at the street level. And so, in many ways, this is the deadline we all needed.” 

Other upgrades going on across Houston ahead of the event include a $55M capital improvement plan at NRG Park, where the matches will be played in NRG Stadium. Downtown Houston+ estimates about $100M will be invested in hotel expansions and new developments. 

JW Marriott Houston Downtown is undergoing a multimillion-dollar expansion to add 56 guest rooms and 10K SF of additional meeting space ahead of the World Cup. 

The event has also pushed forward some long-needed infrastructure improvements, including the replacement of an East Downtown wastewater pipe that can be traced back to 1910, Whitton said.

But with the World Cup starting in about five months, the race is on to finish.

“There’s a lot of construction that will grind to a halt,” Hoeprich said. “FIFA has mandated pencils down … So coordinating around those construction sites is an interesting project in itself.”