The Kicks Seen Around the World: Austin Embraces the 2026 FIFA World Cup
The summer of 2026 brought the World Cup to North America for the first time since 1994. The 2026 FIFA World Cup not only hogged the ball from every other televised sport, but was an exciting, month-plus celebration for host countries Mexico (where fútbol is the most popular sport), Canada, and the United States (where it is called soccer and it is not). In the U.S., eleven stadiums hosted games in nine different states, including California, Georgia, Florida, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington, and — most excitingly for us
— our very own Texas.
The AT&T Stadium, temporarily named the Dallas Stadium (in Arlington) and the NRG Stadium, temporarily named the Houston Stadium (and actually in Houston) were the two Texas sites that saw fast-footed action during the World Cup. At these stadiums, attendees got to watch popular games like the France vs. Spain semifinal and the round of 16 knockout between Canada and Morocco. The excitement of being a host country and a host state brought so much energy to Texas and fueled an already healthy inferno of fútbol fandom here in Austin.
Austin is home to Austin FC, the official soccer team of Austin, and to Q2 Stadium,
which hosts our home games. Austin FC was founded in 2018, and in 2021 the team began playing in the Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The team played their first game against the Los Angeles FC at the Banc of California Stadium in 2021, and while it ended in an unfortunate loss, the game kickstarted our city’s now longstanding obsession with Austin FC.
Surrounding the team is a thriving culture of anthems, group fan names, and colors. Popular supporter groups include La Murga de Austin, also known as the heartbeat of Austin, an all-volunteer Latin-American style brass and percussion band. Found in the supporter section, La Murga provides lively music and beats throughout the game and takes part in the Heartbeat of Austin ritual where a member bangs the iconic green bass drum with the symbol of a heart.
Accompanying La Murga in the supporter section are even more fan groups, including Los Verde ATX, Fighting Leslies DC, and Oak Army New Braunfels — all roaring popular chants such as Dale Austin, Bella Ciao, Let’s Go ATX, and Reloco Remamado. The team comes out onto the field with their iconic Verde and black jersey embellished with their unofficial mascot, Speedbump, a nine-banded armadillo. The team has also adopted other traditions in true Austin fashion, like featuring adoptable rescue dogs from Austin Pets Alive as the official Honorary Mascot of the Match. The team’s beautiful and lively culture has led to 96 fully sold-out home games in Q2 stadium, the current longest streak in the MLS.
Austin FC alone shows how much Austinites love soccer, but fandom truly surfaced for the sport during the 2026 FIFA World Cup when Austin FC hosted Casa VERDE, a free watch party at Inn Cahoots. Casa Verde was open for the 37 days of the World Cup, broadcasting all of the matches live. The event also included DJ sets, food, and giveaways, with fans bringing electric energy and lining up hours before games just to ensure their entry into the watch party. Austin FC also hosted a 2-day opener party at Auditorium Shores, transforming Austin’s downtown area into the most iconic FIFA celebration in the city with 15,000 registered fans in attendance.
If fans missed the opportunity to see matches at Casa VERDE, other options included the East Austin bar, Chalmers, recognized as one of the top 10 most popular spots to watch the World Cup. Some of the most crowded watch parties were for Mexico's national team, better known as "La Selección de Fútbol de México." Fans gathered at their favorite Latin- influenced bars and restaurants to watch the games on Telemundo — the channel so many fans know and love because of their energetic, chaotic, and familiar narrating style.
La Selección de Fútbol de México — better known to fans as "El Tri" for the three colors from the flag — had a historic year, making it past the first knockout round. Participants in watch parties everywhere chanted "Viva Mexico," "Mexico, Mexico," and lit up when legendary player Guillermo "Memo" Ochoa appeared onscreen. Fans also took to social media to bring the most popular motivating mottos back, such as the classic "Si Se Puede" ("Yes We Can"). A new motto was also created for this World Cup — "Y Si, Si," best translated as "And If, Yes," — which was used to show the players that their fans had faith, optimism, and believed in their abilities. During matches, these mottos were used as greetings from fan to fan. After the conclusions of the games, fans also sang popular songs associated with the team’s culture, such as "Mi Mexico Lindo," "Cielito Lindo," "Oye Mi Amor," "Hasta Que Te Conoci," and — possibly the most popular — "El Rey," written by Jose Alfredo Jimenez.
Fans of Team USA also took part in huge celebrations, with restaurants and bars
(including iconic Austin spots such as P. Terry's BOGO cheeseburgers and Lou’s Eastside's) selling themed food and announcing extensive happy hours. Watch parties around the city even held special happy hours for teams such as Cape Verde, a standout underdog team from Africa, and for France, favored to win the World Cup, to give locals a chance to celebrate and show support for all the teams participating in the knockout phase. Austin’s very own Q2 Stadium even served as the official training headquarters for Team Saudi Arabia. From mariachi bands
playing Juan Gabriel's music to represent the anthem of Mexico’s national team to fans forming Norway's iconic rowing motion — or even fans coming together to root against a common enemy team during the FIFA final — watch parties took place all over Austin and brought together local fans of the sport, guests to our country from around the world, and newcomers to the World Cup who may now have a favorite team.
The conclusion of the FIFA World Cup does not mean that fútbol fever is over. Austin FC is back in full swing for the second half of the 2026 season, and celebrated their first game back with a win of 3-1 against Seattle. With the FIFA World Cup over, fans can now direct their attention to our own home city team and cheer on Austin FC, wearing their Verde pride and dancing to the rhythms of La Murga de Austin.
