According to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), the weather system called Potential Tropical Cyclone One is moving along the coast of Texas and Louisiana. The agency warns of widespread heavy rain with common rainfall from 100 to 200mm, some places may exceed 300mm, increasing the risk of flooding and flash floods.
Faced with the complicated developments of the weather, the Texas state government has declared a disaster status in 101 counties to proactively deploy emergency response measures.
The above information raises concerns about the possibility of affecting matches at the 2026 World Cup, including the clash between Portugal and Congo. However, up to now, FIFA has not made any announcements related to the postponement or change of the schedule.
US meteorological agencies believe that the center of the tropical depression is likely to move east of Houston, towards the Galveston area and the border between Texas and Louisiana. This helps the city of Houston avoid the risk of being directly affected by the storm's center.
In addition, the match is held at NRG Stadium - a modern roofed stadium, minimizing the impact of heavy rain and strong winds on the organization as well as competition conditions.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire said that World Cup activities are still taking place normally. Local authorities have prepared plans to respond to bad weather but have not considered postponing or canceling the match as a scenario to consider at the present time.
However, prolonged heavy rain can still affect activities outside the stadium. Some roads in Houston face the risk of localized flooding, affecting the movement of fans, reporters and delegations attending the tournament. Exchange events with fans or outdoor training sessions can also be adjusted depending on the actual situation.
Many energy businesses in the Gulf of Mexico and the Texas coast are also closely monitoring the developments of this weather system. However, experts assess that this is likely just a weak tropical storm and not strong enough to seriously affect key infrastructure.
If unusual developments do not appear in the near future, the match between Portugal and Congo will still take place as scheduled in Houston, despite Texas being in a state of response to the risk of storms and heavy rain.
