Houston
Houston is wide, flat and full of soccer. Indoor arenas off the freeway loops, turf complexes in Katy and Pearland and parish fields in the east all fill after dark with teams of five. The MCC Houston tournament in 2027 gathers them into three grounds, a Pitch Round that opens on 9 April and a path toward the World Final on 7 July.
Three grounds, three champions
Two halves of 15 minutes on a stop clock. Every team plays three group matches in a group of four, and the top two go into the playoffs, where a tie level after two halves goes to penalties. Five weeks of football on each ground leave Houston with three Pitch Champions, and each goes straight to the Country Championship.
North Houston
64 to 128 teams · $20,000 to its Pitch Champion
West Houston
64 to 128 teams · $20,000 to its Pitch Champion
South-East Houston
64 to 128 teams · $20,000 to its Pitch Champion
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Where Houston already plays indoor soccer
The city's small-sided scene is large and spread out. Mexican, Salvadoran, Honduran, Nigerian, Vietnamese and Colombian communities each support leagues, and many games run in air-conditioned arenas where futsal and indoor soccer share the same courts. Houston Dynamo and the Dash give the city its professional anchors.
Workplace teams from the Energy Corridor and the Medical Center and neighbourhood sides from Gulfton or Spring Branch are equally welcome, provided every player is an amateur and the squad has no more than nine. Friends who rent a court together every Wednesday stand on the same footing as an established club, and no outside federation card is needed.
North, west and south-east by freeway
Houston grows outward along its freeways, and the three grounds do the same. North Houston draws on Greenspoint, Spring, Humble and The Woodlands along I-45 and the Hardy Toll Road. West Houston covers Katy, the Energy Corridor, Memorial and Cypress. South-East Houston takes in Pasadena, Pearland, Clear Lake and the Gulf-facing suburbs.
Public transit is limited, so the sensible choice is the ground nearest to home. Each ground has room for 64 to 128 teams and plays a full round of its own, so nobody has to cross the whole city. Playing close to home also avoids freeway drives that can turn a midweek fixture into a three-hour evening.
One venue per ground is confirmed through the MCC pitch owner programme and announced after its agreement is signed. Until a ground shows a named venue, none has been confirmed, so look at the cards before assuming where your group matches will be played.
Spring in Houston and the Texas route onward
April in Houston is warm and humid, with afternoon highs in the high 20s Celsius, and May turns hotter. Group matches fall on three weekends from 9 April, the playoffs open on 30 April and the finals land on 9 May 2027.
Each Pitch Champion moves directly into the United States Country Championship, 28 to 30 May 2027, where Dallas-Fort Worth, the other Texas host city, sends its winners too, with Atlanta, Miami-Fort Lauderdale and the rest. The continental stage comes next, and the World Final is on 7 July 2027.
A published season in place of a one-day bracket
Houston has many church, charity and community cups played over one weekend. MCC is different in kind: groups of four with three matches each, playoffs, penalties whenever a tie is level, and $20,000 for every Pitch Champion. The route continues beyond Texas. Teams must be amateur and name a Team President, and a zero-tolerance conduct policy applies.
The road out of Houston
- 01 · 9 Apr - 9 May 2027
Pitch Round
Groups of four on every pitch, three group matches each. The top two of every group go into the playoffs, and penalties settle a level playoff tie.
$20,000 - 02 · 28-30 May 2027
Country Championship
The Pitch Champions of each country play for the national title: two halves of 15 minutes, a league table, then the playoffs.
$150,000 - 03 · 2027
Continental Championship
Country Champions compete within their region for a place on the world stage.
$500,000 - 04 · 7 Jul 2027
World Championship
A five-team mini-league, then the World Final: two halves of 15 minutes, penalties if level. One MCC World Champion.
$5,000,000
Questions from Houston
How does a team enter MCC in Houston?
Register on this site and pick one of Houston's three grounds: North Houston, West Houston, South-East Houston. One Team License per team: USD 1,200 for one year until 1 March 2027 (then 2,500), or 5,000 for three years. Payment and KYC verification follow the application.
When does the tournament start in Houston?
The Pitch Round runs 9 April to 9 May 2027 on all three Houston grounds. The group matches are played on 9-11, 16-18 and 23-25 April, the playoffs from 30 April, and each ground's final on 9 May. Pitch Champions go straight to the Country Championship on 28-30 May 2027.
How many teams can play in Houston?
Up to 384: each of the three grounds takes up to 128 teams, and each needs a minimum of 64 to run its round. A full ground puts an entry on its waitlist instead of turning it away.
What can a Houston team win?
$20,000 per Pitch Champion, $150,000 for the United States title, $500,000 continental and $5,000,000 for the World Champion - plus championship rings from Country level up.
Which Houston ground is best for a team in the Heights or Midtown?
Central teams usually pick the ground with the easiest freeway run from their neighbourhood. For the Heights that is often North Houston, for Midtown it depends on whether the squad lives east or west.
Which areas does each Houston ground cover?
North Houston draws on Greenspoint, Spring, Humble and The Woodlands. West Houston covers Katy, the Energy Corridor, Memorial and Cypress. South-East Houston takes in Pasadena, Pearland and Clear Lake. Teams choose the ground they can reach most easily.
Do indoor arena teams have an advantage?
Not by design. The format is the same 5-a-side with two 15-minute halves on a stop clock, but teams used to indoor courts will find the pace familiar. Venues are confirmed through the pitch owner programme and named on the city page.
Can friends from different parts of Houston form one team?
Yes, and they choose the ground that suits most of the squad. Players living across the city should pick the ground most convenient for match nights, since every ground runs the same format and prize.
Also hosting in United States
Nearby in North America
Claim a pitch in Houston
One Team License per team, for one year or three years. Squads of up to 9 are built in the MCC app after licensing. Registration takes the team, its coach and its Team President.
- USD1,200One year
- 5,000Three years