When Brian Ching was 7 years old and living in Honolulu, he said he’d give soccer a try on one condition: his mother had to be the coach.
She must have been a good one; Ching went on to star at Gonzaga University, play professionally for 12 years, and, before retiring in 2013, he’d been named to the MLS All-Star team six times. He still holds the Houston Dynamo’s all-time scoring record. Named to the U.S. World Cup team in ’06, he rode the bench but regards the experience as remarkable.
“People from all over the world converge on the countries that are hosting the Cup,” Ching says. ”They come to celebrate the sport. When I got out in the streets of Germany and walked around, I saw people from all over the world who were there to cheer their teams on. It’s such a festive and unifying event.”
In mid-June, Ching’s mother will join about half a million people visiting Houston for the FIFA World Cup. What they’ll find when they get here is the question on a lot of people’s minds.
While organizers say they are more than ready — Mayor John Whitmire touts Houston’s reputation as a “can-do” city — worries remain about street closures and parking, all the Airbnb visitors, and, more concerning, that no one in Houston has any control over what ICE does and what tactics it might employ in seeking out and detaining immigrants.
The U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security is holding a hearing on Tuesday, February 24, to discuss federal, state and local coordination for the American host cities. It’s likely that more information about Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s role will be revealed at that time. The hearing will be livestreamed on YouTube.
Chris Canetti, president of the FIFA World Cup Houston host committee, says his prime mission is to ensure that residents and guests are safe, while conceding that he doesn’t get to tell the federal government how to do its job.
Ching says he’s heard the concerns and knows that tensions are high. “Having said that, the World Cup is about welcoming the world to Houston,” he says. “I don’t know what the ICE initiatives are going to be around that time but I would hope the government’s plan is to promote diversity in our city and about the U.S. being a great host for the world’s largest sporting event.”
The “Grown-up City”
According to Mayor Whitmire, the Federation Internationale de Football Association has said that Houston is the best prepared of the host cities, including Dallas, Boston, Kansas City, Los Angeles and Seattle. “They call us the grown-up city,” he says.
Canetti refers to the World Cup as “the single largest sporting event in the history of the world.” Houston’s role as one of 16 World Cup host cities will be to put on seven matches at NRG Stadium from June 14 to July 4.
Miles away from the main event, a free 39-day Fan Fest is planned in East Downtown for those who can’t afford tickets to the live games.
Canetti credits an army of full-time committee members, subcommittee volunteers, nonprofits, city departments and businesses involved in the planning and execution of the World Cup, but notes that, “At the end of the day, it’s FIFA’s event.”
“We’re here to support FIFA,” he says. “I’m in charge of everything that the host committee is doing to support FIFA along the way. That includes safety and security, transportation, hotel accommodations, fundraising, practice facilities, sustainability, human rights and other legacy programming.”
Houston was named a host city back in 2022, long before Donald Trump was elected to a second term and began what critics have deemed aggressive ICE crackdowns in metropolitan cities. In recent months, residents have been increasingly worried that ICE agents might be patrolling the streets looking to detain undocumented people and generally making the atmosphere less friendly.
The Department of Homeland Security has said that “legally visiting fans have nothing to worry about,” but ICE is expected to assist with stadium security, and no one has said that immigration enforcement checks won’t be conducted near World Cup events.
Canetti says ICE operations don’t fall under his jurisdiction, “or anything we can control as the host committee, but it is our understanding that the Department of Homeland Security is going to be very engaged in the safety and security of this event.”
“It is standard protocol for them to be involved in every single event, whether it’s a World Cup or Super Bowl or Final Four,” he says. “It is also our understanding that their involvement in these things includes surveillance and anti-human trafficking and things of that nature and is not tied to any immigration-type initiatives.”
Airbnbs and Human Trafficking
Resident Debra Oliver, who has lived in North Montrose for 17 years, says Houstonians who live in or close to entertainment districts are generally prepared for and receptive to big events near their neighborhoods.
Oliver says she thinks undocumented people, in addition to most other Houstonians, probably can’t afford to go to a World Cup match. She’s more worried about the possibility of human trafficking through short-term rental homes. The city passed an ordinance last year requiring Airbnb and VRBO operators to register their rental properties and pay fees or be removed from the platform if they have repeated violations. Enforcement began January 1.
A registration ordinance isn’t likely, however, to stop loud parties or trafficking — and Oliver says both activities are expected to occur in rental properties during the World Cup.
“Anytime there’s a big conference in town, even when [Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries] comes, travelers are looking for prostitutes,” Oliver says. “Prostitution is going to spike.”
She’s called the cops on a nearby rental before, suspecting prostitution, but the police won’t get involved unless she says she’s heard someone calling for help. “The police cannot just burst in,” she says. “If you hear anyone who is screaming or who sounds like they are in danger, or if there is any fighting or if someone has a weapon, the police will come out for that. If they’re just partying and being loud, they may or may not come out.”
The World Cup host committee previewed its Human Rights Action Plan at a luncheon on February 13. A final draft of the plan, which addresses preventative measures for human and labor trafficking, will be published online in May. More than 50 anti-trafficking state statutes provide a legal framework for prevention, prosecution and victim support, committee officials said at the luncheon. Additionally, the Houston City Council requires all 554 of the city’s hotels and motels to conduct annual training on trafficking.
Short-term rental operators are also now required to watch a video on human trafficking in order to meet their registration requirements, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen, Oliver says.
“When you have big events and a lot of people are consuming alcohol, that’s when the predators come out, and people are in a vulnerable state,” she says, noting that Houston police can’t be in every neighborhood and will rely on residents to report suspicious activity.
Sebastien Long, president of the Texas Short-Term Rental Alliance and operator of about 200 Houston rental units, met with other operators at a national conference in Austin last week, specifically geared toward planning for the World Cup.
FIFA reportedly has reserved 5,000 rooms of the approximately 100,000 available in the Houston area. So people will definitely be booking short-term rentals, possibly even extending beyond Houston into the suburbs.
Long says he expects that noise, trash and parking will be the primary complaints from neighbors, with noise accounting for about 75 percent.
“These are all things that can be resolved with clear communication,” he says. “You can use noise monitoring devices that alert the operator about high volume levels. These tools can send messages to the guests if noise levels are too loud. Most people want to follow the rules, and if they know the rules, it’s easier to comply.”
Long’s apartment rentals are in Midtown, on the METRO line that connects with NRG Stadium and East Downtown. He’ll provide that information to guests, with consideration given to the fact that many travelers won’t speak English.
He says much discussion has taken place about pricing and ensuring that guests who are visiting Los Angeles, for example, are aware that not all areas of town look like they do in the movies. “We try to manage expectations with our guests and consider what might be their specific needs,” he says.
Fan Fest Zone and Soccer Legacies
Ching serves on a World Cup subcommittee called “Grow the Game,” tasked with boosting Houston’s youth soccer scene. “It’s about creating a system where underprivileged kids get access to training and a league that all the local clubs here have bought into and help promote,” he says. “Another phase is growing the referees and coaches into the system to meet the current demand.”
The soccer player remembers gathering with Canetti and other stakeholders in 2022 to watch the World Cup bid announcement on TV at a party, similar to an NFL draft.
“Nobody knew; FIFA kept it close to the vest,” Ching says. “They were calling out cities and they went from Dallas to Atlanta. We had a momentary drop of our hearts thinking they skipped us. Then we heard them say Houston. We got it. It’s a big credit to the committee, because when people think of the U.S., they don’t really think of Houston. The committee did a very good job of selling Houston to FIFA.”
Tickets for a single match started out around $70, but resale prices now range from about $750 to more than $5,700. Even though most Houstonians can’t afford to catch a match at NRG, Oliver says she doesn’t expect that locals will hide out in their homes.
Many will go to the Fan Fest that’s being organized by former Astros and Rockets sideline reporter Patti Smith.
Smith told the Press that the Fan Fest aims to “tell the world the story of who Houston is” through food, culture and music. It runs from June 11 through July 19 and will be activated throughout the World Cup, not just the matches played in Houston.
“This is the biggest event in Houston besides the match that you can be a part of,” Smith says. “It will be the biggest watch party in the city. We’ve got a giant stage with three giant screens in our live area, and we have an alternative viewing area on our pitch. You not only don’t have to pay the high prices but you don’t have to pay any price.”
Some VIP tickets will be sold for about $100 that allow access into an air-conditioned tent with cabana seating and access to a private bathroom. A talent search is underway for 34 musical and entertainment acts to perform on each day of the festival, which Smith described as a “World Cup wonderland.” The performers include Bollywood dancers, jugglers, musicians and mariachi bands, she says, and they’ll put on shows between matches.
A soccer pitch will be on site for youth tournaments and open play, and every block within the Fan Fest zone features sunscreen dispensers, cooling towels and a misting station to offer some relief from the heat.
Within that four-block Fan Fest zone is the soccer-themed bar and restaurant, Pitch 25 Beer Park, that Ching opened in 2018 after retiring from his professional soccer career and serving in leadership stints with the Dash and Dynamo.
The zone runs from Walker to Polk bounded by Emancipation Avenue and Saint Emanuel. Within that area, portions of Walker, McKinney, Lamar, Dallas and Polk will be shut down. Fan Fest organizers say they’ve engaged EaDo residents as they prepare to “take possession” of the festival footprint and begin building event sets in May.
The Downtown Houston+ economic development organization is creating clear pedestrian pathways between World Cup activity centers, completing the Main Street Promenade and resurfacing major streets before guests arrive in June.
Canetti acknowledged there will be crowds and heavy traffic around NRG Stadium on match days but that’s typical when there’s a sporting event in town. “We can say that during the rodeo or a Texans game,” he says. “The large crowds are going to be spread out over the course of weeks.”
Smith maintains it’s worth the hassle to have the experience. “You’re never going to have the opportunity to do this again. This is something we’ll tell our kids and grandkids about. We’re going to put on a great show and make Houston shine for the rest of the world.”
Parking in EaDo is already limited and the street closures will make the area difficult to access by car, Smith says. METRO will drop off on one side of the Fan Fest area and a rideshare drop-off will be set up on the other side. Bike valets will run to and from the Columbia Tap Trail.
METRO and both major airports are making upgrades to prepare for an influx of travelers. More information on whether free or discounted public transit rides will be released by METRO in May, Canetti says.
“They’re putting together a very complex transportation plan specific to the World Cup, so you’re not going to see the same-old, same-old every day,” he says. “They’ve been planning this for a long time, to be able to handle the crowds and move them around.”
The host committee has projected a $1.5 billion economic impact — the equivalent of seven Super Bowls in a 30-day period — but for Houstonians, the excitement about the World Cup may be more about pride in the city they call home, Canetti says.
When Canetti’s team began preparing the bid package for FIFA in 2019, it was clear that Houston “didn’t have any weaknesses,” the host committee chair recalled. The Bayou City hosted Super Bowls in 1974, 2004 and 2017, but of course, those guests are just in town for a weekend.
“We have all the things that one needs to host an event like this, from the infrastructure pertaining to the stadium, the airports, the transportation system, the hotels, the practice facilities. You name it, we’ve got everything,” he says. “We’ve got this rich history of hosting major sporting events successfully. We’re an international and diverse city, so we kind of had the full package of things to offer FIFA.”
Ching says he expects Pitch 25 will be packed for the duration of the World Cup. Because he’s opening another franchise in Katy in June and he’ll be hosting his mom from Hawaii, he’ll be super busy.
The bar has tripled its staff and made accommodations for more storage and product in anticipation of the crowds. “We’re still sorting through where employees are going to park because a lot of the area is going to be shut down and there’s going to be so much traffic,” he says.
So it’s unlikely that Houston’s most recognizable soccer star Brian Ching will be captured on the Jumbotron at NRG during the World Cup. The biggest sporting event in the world means one thing for him: “I’ll be working,” he says with a smile.