Houston, Texas, has unveiled Impact Houston 26, a three-pronged plan to maximise the economic return and community benefit from the forthcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Impact Houston 26 is built around three pillars – Grow The Game, expanding access to football in the city; Human Rights, to protect dignity and equity before, during and after the tournament; and Sustainability, to provide accountability, track progress, and support long-term environmental outcomes.
The initiative is a collaboration between the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Houston Host Committee and the Sports Authority Foundation.
Previous reports have suggested that the forthcoming World Cup will be the most polluting tournament to date, with the tournament generating over 9 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (MtCO2e), while Carbon Market Watch has slammed FIFA‘s ‘foul, irresponsible, farcical, and absurd approach to the climate’.
Read more: Can the FIFA World Cup 2026 be sustainable?
Taking the initiative
In terms of sustainability, Houston’s approach incorporates collaboration among private, educational, and non-profit stakeholders, guided by priorities around climate and energy, low-carbon transportation, air, water and nature, and waste and circularity. The initiative will be overseen by a Sustainability Committee, which will meet on a regular basis to advance initiatives and provide updates on progress.
In hospitality, a toolkit has been developed for businesses that is designed to reduce waste and improve operational efficiency, aligned with the Texas Certified Green Restaurant Program. Participating businesses earn points based on the level of investment they make, which in turn earns them qualification for a sustainable hospitality badge: Yellow Leaf (for small businesses only); Blue Leaf and Green Leaf.
The environmental plan also focuses on sustainable event management, with a sustainable events playbook outlining measures to increase the use of renewable energy at key sites – including the city’s Fan Festival – and reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions.
Green Corridor
Another highlight is the ‘Green Corridor’, a low-emission transport network that will connect downtown Houston, the Fan Festival in EaDo, and NRG Park, where matches will take place.
‘This initiative showcases Houston’s leadership in urban greening, low-carbon transport, innovation, and community resilience,’ the Sports Authority Foundation commented.
Matches scheduled to take place in Houston include Germany vs Curaçao (14 June), Portugal vs Uzbekistan (23 June) and Cabo Verde vs Saudi Arabia (26 June), while the Netherlands and Portugal also have fixtures scheduled against as-yet-unnamed qualifiers. The city will also host a Round of 32 and Round of 16 match. Read more here.
