The inaugural Houston match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup came amid a flood watch. The stadium’s retractable roof was closed for Germany’s 7-1 win against Curaçao, but many fans were drenched on the way in.
Outside NRG Stadium on Sunday morning, fans yelped and cheered on their way into the 2026 FIFA World Cup. They weren’t necessarily cheering for any team in particular, but rather screaming for the downpouring of rain.
Tens of thousands of soccer fans came to the stadium, which is referred to by FIFA as “Houston Stadium” for the tournament, for Houston’s inaugural match as a World Cup host city.
Germany dominated the game with a 7-1 victory over Curaçao in front of 68,021 fans. It was something of a David-and-Goliath match, with Germany ranked ninth by FIFA and Curaçao falling at 82nd in the world. Walking up to the stadium, it was clear most fans were there pulling for Germany.
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“I love German soccer,” Nolan Bridges said. “I’ve always wanted to go to a World Cup game, so when I won the lottery for FIFA and got pretty affordably priced tickets, I had to come.”
Bridges, who wore a Germany jersey, had seen videos on social media of fans in New York, who had their first match Saturday evening. Thus far, he said, Houston’s environment had been exciting as well.
“I’ve never seen the Germany team play,” Peter Pastor said, standing outside the stadium, draped in a German flag. “The ticket prices are a bit ridiculous, but I said, ‘Screw it, I’ll do it anyways.'”
A Californian, the first word that came to Pastor’s mind when describing Houston was “hot.” As he spoke to Houston Public Media, raindrops began dropping onto his German flag.
“I guess the weather is sort of playing games with us here,” he said.
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Only minutes later, a downpouring hit the many fans who attended the match. Though NRG Stadium kept its retractable roof closed for the entirety of the match, many fans were still waiting in line to get into the stadium when the rain began pouring down. Though the gates were open, the line quickly swelled and bottlenecked to get into the stadium.
Germany fans made up the majority of the fans in attendance, but they were not the only ones. Sugar Land resident Dr. Ifeyinwa Onwudiwe decided to root for Curaçao as the underdog team.
“Germany is strong, Germany is known, everybody probably has picked Germany to win,” Onwudiwe said. “But we want to check them.”
Other Curaçaoan fans made their presence known, cheering and chanting for the small nation outside the stadium. Sunday’s match was also the World Cup debut for Curaçao, which now holds the record for the smallest nation to ever qualify for the World Cup, both by land and population. With a population of roughly 157,000, Curaçao is roughly one-twentieth of the size of Houston proper.
Standing under trees nearby, Isabella Marx was hoping for a miracle: someone had to be selling tickets to the match from outside the stadium. She’d been to other events at NRG Stadium and seen people sell tickets last-minute from outside the stadium, but she’d never tried to buy them before Sunday.
“We need to lock in,” she said, German flags painted on each of her cheeks. “I wish we would have locked in a little earlier, but it is what it is. It’s not the end of the world. At the end of the day, if we don’t get tickets, whatever, we’ll go watch it at home, and it’ll still be a great experience.”
By contrast, Edgar Marroquin was outside the stadium purely for the environment.
“I just came for pictures,” he told Houston Public Media. “The excitement. And if I find a ticket, I’d do it. But I’m not sure.”
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In fact, Marroquin took the month off from work to soak in the World Cup. He has his hopes high for attending a match: maybe it’s the Netherlands-Sweden match in Houston next Saturday, an Argentina match in Dallas, or the lofty dream of Brazil playing in a knockout match in Houston. But even to stand outside the stadium was enough for him.
“It’s Houston, and trying to get memories of this unforgettable moment,” he said. “I know I’m going to keep it on my heart, but it’s better when somebody sees on the picture or video, right? Like ‘OK, yeah, you’re there.'”
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