HOUSTON — The Houston City Council unanimously approved a request for more than $64.6 million in federal funding to support public safety operations during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Houston Chronicle reported.
The city is one of 11 U.S. host locations preparing for the international event and is seeking a portion of the $625 million in federal grants offered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Houston will host seven matches at NRG Stadium and expects to welcome around 500,000 international visitors, according to the report.
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The funding would help cover expenses for the Houston Police Department, which is responsible for crowd control, traffic management and fan events such as marches and a Fan Festival near Shell Energy Stadium.
Police officials told council members that grant funding is necessary to offset overtime costs. HPD exceeded its overtime budget by $6.4 million in the last fiscal year and has already spent $13.8 million of its $14.8 million overtime budget this fiscal year, according to the report.
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As an example of rising costs, the city recently spent about $102,000 to deploy 200 officers for a protest involving roughly 15,000 participants.
The council also approved a separate $15 million grant application through the Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems program to monitor and detect illegal drones during the tournament, according to the report.
City officials have not publicly commented on the grant applications. The World Cup matches in Houston are scheduled for summer 2026.
