NRG Stadium, Houston — Stadium Almanac

📋 QUICK FACTS

FULL NAME

NRG Stadium

NICKNAME

The House of Boom (The House of Boom (a nod to its roaring retractable roof and Texans crowd))

OPENED

24 August 2002 (opening event: Houston Texans 3-24 Miami Dolphins (preseason))

CAPACITY NOW

72,220 (expandable to about 80,000 for major events)

ALTITUDE

12 m / 39 ft above sea level

PITCH

Natural grass for 2026 (normally artificial turf)

ROOF

Retractable fabric roof (first in the NFL); closed all tournament to shade the grass

ARCHITECT

Populous (then HOK Sport), with Houston Stadium Consultants as architect-of-record

OWNER

Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation

TENANTS

Houston Texans · Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

📊 THE NUMBERS

CAPACITY72,220 (≈80,000 EXPANDED)

ROOFRETRACTABLE - CLOSED ALL TOURNAMENT

2026 MATCHES HOSTED7 TIES (5 GROUP + 2 KNOCKOUT)

PITCH FOR 2026NATURAL GRASS OVER THE TURF

Houston's headline trick for 2026: keep the pioneering retractable roof shut and air-condition the bowl so a freshly laid natural-grass pitch can survive a humid Gulf-Coast June.

VISITOR SNAPSHOT · HOUSTON

THE SIGHTS

Space Center Houston & NASA Johnson Space Center
Museum of Fine Arts & the Museum District
Houston Museum of Natural Science
Buffalo Bayou Park
The Galleria shopping district
Hermann Park & the Houston Zoo

THE TABLE

Texas barbecue (smoked brisket)
Tex-Mex fajitas & breakfast tacos
Viet-Cajun crawfish boil
Gulf shrimp & oysters
Kolaches

GOOD TO KNOW

Language: English (with very widely spoken Spanish)
Currency: US dollar (USD)
Time zone: Central Time (UTC-5 in June, on daylight saving)
Elevation: About 12 m (39 ft) above sea level - Houston sits on the flat Gulf Coastal Plain, barely above the sea.
Population: Roughly 2.3 million in the city proper and over 7 million across the Greater Houston metropolitan area - the largest city in Texas.

GETTING AROUND

Houston is a sprawling, car-first city; the METRORail Red Line runs from Downtown past the Museum District to the NRG/Stadium Park stop right beside the ground, with park-and-ride buses and ride-hailing apps filling the gaps.

Traveller's tip: the METRORail Red Line drops you at the stadium's doorstep - far easier than braving the freeway car parks on a match day.

WEATHER BRIEF · JUNE ON THE GULF COAST

HISTORICAL CLIMATE, NOT A FORECAST. Typical June conditions from the climate record - never a matchday prediction.

TYPICAL JUNE HIGH 33°C 91°F

TYPICAL JUNE LOW 24°C 75°F

Houston has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa): hot, sticky summers with high humidity off the Gulf of Mexico and frequent afternoon thunderstorms. June is firmly in the warm, muggy season - which is precisely why the retractable roof stays shut and the bowl is air-conditioned for the tournament.

WHAT TO PACK

☀ Light, breathable clothing - hot, humid June days outside
🧥 A light layer for indoors - the bowl is air-conditioned
☔ A compact umbrella - afternoon Gulf thunderstorms are common

📜 FILE TIMELINE

1999

Houston is awarded an NFL expansion franchise (the Texans), with a new retractable-roof stadium part of the bid.

2002

Opens on 24 August as Reliant Stadium - the first NFL stadium with a retractable roof - alongside the Houston Texans' debut season.

2004

Hosts Super Bowl XXXVIII (New England 32-29 Carolina), the game made infamous by the half-time show.

2014

Reliant Energy's naming deal ends; NRG Energy takes over and the ground is renamed NRG Stadium.

2017

Stages Super Bowl LI (New England 34-28 Atlanta) - the first Super Bowl ever decided in overtime, after a 28-3 comeback.

2019

George Strait's RodeoHouston concert draws 80,108 - the venue record until Cody Johnson's 80,203 in 2026.

2026

Becomes a World Cup host for the first time, staging seven matches (five group-stage plus two knockout ties) with the roof closed over a freshly laid natural-grass pitch.