HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The FIFA World Cup is here, and Houstonians are expected to swarm fan events and local businesses as the soccer event seizes the summer.
H-Town is hosting seven matches, but fans will have plenty of other things to enjoy in the Bayou City.
ABC13 has live updates to keep all Houstonians, from soccer aficionados to commuters looking to dodge traffic, informed throughout the multi-country event.
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H-Town will host seven of the World Cup games. Five of them will take place during the group stage, one of them during the round of 32, and the last during the round of 16. See below for the matches.
All the matches will be held at Houston Stadium.
Visit FIFA's website for more information.
FIFA described its fan experience as the ultimate destination for World Cup fans in Houston, and ABC13 got a first look at some of the featured experiences before it opened to the public.
The festival is located just east of downtown Houston, next to Shell Energy Stadium. It will be open every day of the World Cup and is a first-come, first-served venue where fans can watch all the matches for free.
FIFA said there are several experiences fans can partake in at the festival, and since it's taking place in the Houston heat, organizers say there will be misting zones, water stations, and shaded areas.
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Greg Bailey sat down with the man who spent years working on a world-class solution, the Dynamo's Dan Bergstrom.
WATCH:
As tropical downpours are expected to drench Houston on Monday, FIFA officials have decided to close the fan festival preemptively.
The announcement was made late Sunday night on an official FIFA account for the Houston area.
Organizers of the FIFA Fan Festival Houston said the safety of everyone involved was a top priority, and the host committee looked forward to welcoming fans back as soon as conditions allow.
ABC13's Chief Meteorologist Travis Herzog extended the ABC13 Weather Watch as the possibility for street flooding is expected from Monday through Wednesday, and tropical downpours could drop anywhere from 3 to 6 inches of rain over Southeast Texas.
FIFA organizers did not say whether or not the closure would be extended should weather conditions remain a concern.
Weather conditions forced the temporary closure of the FIFA Fan Festival for the second time on Sunday, organizers said.
As a system of thunderstorms moved over East Downtown, organizers said entry to the event was temporarily paused.
Sunday was the first day Houston hosted a FIFA World Cup match, and fans gathered to watch Germany defeat Curacao.
Fans at the festival were forced to go home around noon due to weather conditions, but that closure only lasted an hour.
Around 7 p.m., the new round of rain and lightning prompted the second closure.
FIFA officials said the gates will be reopened as weather conditions permit.
