Soccer hooligans, rejoice. Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup games in Houston, El Clasico de Mexico will be hosted in Houston for the first time this October. The match held at NRG Stadium will be a friendly game between two of Mexico’s best soccer clubs: Mexico City’s Club América and Chivas of Guadalajara just in time to wrap up Hispanic Heritage Month.
The City of Houston announced El Clasico in Houston on Monday, August 12. “Today, Mayor Whitmire, NRG Park and Primetime Sports are excited to announce that Houston will host ‘El Clasico de Mexico’ for the 1st time between two great soccer rivals,” the post read on X/Twitter.
Previously, El Clasico de Mexico has been held in other cities including Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Regarding the latter, the match saw 60,000 fans packed inside the Rose Bowl Stadium.
Officials are expecting a similar turnout in Houston. Houston has begun to garner a reputation as a soccer city over the years. Houston hosted a number of Copa America games earlier this year, including a sold-out match between Ecuador and Argentina; other cities, however, experienced lackluster turnout.
“It’s exciting times, especially for a game like this,” said Club América player, Alejandro Zendejas, at the press conference Monday. “We know how intense it is down there in Mexico. So to be able to bring that over here to the States, for the people of Houston, it’s going to be a good time.”
El Clasico de Mexico in Houston will be held on October 13, 2024 at NRG Stadium.
Registration for pre-sale is now available through this website. Tickets are expected to officially go on sale before August 22.
Earlier this summer, FIFA released its schedule for the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches in Houston. The city will host a total of seven matches, including two knock-out games – one of which will be played on July 4th.