The field of dreams – and the story behind it
The first NFL venue to have a retractable roof, NRG Stadium south of downtown Houston will be staging six of its seven World Cup fixtures at noon. This both avoids the mid-afternoon thunderstorms typical for June and takes advantage of the stadium’s twin-panelled fabric covering that can be manoeuvred to its full extent in under ten minutes.
Stage for Cristiano Ronaldo’s last World Cup, NRG Stadium has witnessed two of the memorable Super Bowls in history, both dramatic triumphs for Tom Brady’s New England Patriots, the first also involving the infamous Nipplegate halftime show featuring Janet Jackson.
Prominent soccer games, played here almost as soon as the place opened in 2002, have drawn similar capacity crowds of around 70,000. Mexico can always be relied upon to fill the place, for obvious reasons, most recently the CONCACAF Gold Cup win of 2025 over their American hosts, but there’s also been a Manchester derby in 2017, and Real Madrid’s defeat of United in 2023. Brazil topping their group this June will bring the Seleção here, local fans treated to some stars names, the city having missed out on the World Cup in 1994.
Note that for the duration of the World Cup tournament, NRG Stadium will be known as Houston Stadium.
getting here
Going to the stadium – tips and timings
Houston is served by two airports: the major George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) is 23 miles (37km) north of Downtown Houston and the older William P Hobby seven miles (11km) southeast of the city center. Now an operating base for low-cost Southwest Airlines, Hobby Airport is only 15min taxi journey ($35) to NRG Stadium, also south of Downtown. Houston Cab Taxi (+1 832-807-6403) has online booking.
From IAH, the Route 500 IAH Downtown Direct bus leaves Terminal E, Level 2, exit door E201, every 30mins nonstop for George R Brown Convention Center ($4.50, 35mins) in the heart of Downtown Houston. Buses then go on to Hobby Airport, 1hr 15min total journey time from IAH. Pay with cash, credit card or contactless. Alternatively, you can use the local RideMETRO card ($2 from vending machines/RideStore locations) or download its app, and tap in.
The standard fare for the METRO Local Bus and METRORail to the stadium is $1.25. A day pass is $3. This includes the slower 102 IAH Express bus from Terminal C at IAH to downtown Miliam & Rusk (50mins). The Red Line on the METRORail network runs every 6-12mins from Central Station to Stadium Park/Astrodome (25-30mins), a short walk to NRG Stadium. Free transfers for up to 3hrs allow you to change from the Green or Purple Lines at Central.
There’s free parking at West Loop Transit Center (4675 Braeswood Blvd, Houston, TX 77096) southwest of the city, where a shuttle bus ($2) runs every 30mins to Fannin South Park & Ride, one stop ($1.25) from NRG Stadium (4mins).
