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Millions of fans are preparing to travel to Texas as it prepares to host the world’s largest soccer tournament, the FIFA World Cup 2026, this summer. Southern Baptists of Texas Convention churches are planning a mobilization of their own.
Beginning in June, 16 matches for the World Cup will be held in the Lone Star State—nine at AT&T Stadium in Arlington and seven at NRG Stadium in Houston. In response, SBTC churches are planning outreaches in June and July to engage those fans with the gospel.
The SBTC has planned a pair of trainings, one in DFW and one in Houston, in April. Throughout the spring, it will work to provide resources and network churches planning to participate.
“As millions descend on Texas for the World Cup, the SBTC will mobilize churches across our state to share Christ through evangelism, and we will also have focused outreach projects,” SBTC Missional Ministries Senior Strategist Tony Mathews said. “This rare opportunity to welcome the nations to Texas fuels our prayerful expectation, and we look forward to all that God will do.”
Nations Church in Arlington is among the churches that has expressed interest in participating.
“We are blessed to live in a community where many cultures and nationalities are already represented,” said Debbie Figueroa, the church’s evangelism team lead. “With the World Cup bringing even more people from around the world to our city, we have a significant opportunity to meet them, welcome them, and share the hope we have in Christ.”
“This rare opportunity to welcome the nations to Texas fuels our prayerful expectation, and we look forward to all that God will do.”
Glenn Melvin, Nations Church’s chaplain-in-residence, said the opportunities to bear fruit abound. Those who hear the gospel and make a profession of faith in Jesus will return home and, in turn, amplify the message in places Nations Church can’t. “If Christ grabs hold of their hearts here,” he said, “they can share Him with their neighbors when they return. The opportunity to reach into these countries by them visiting us is too great to pass up.”
At the same time, church leaders are praying for the impact the outreach might have on its members, which it calls partners, who will carry out the unique mission of sharing Christ at home with people who live thousands of miles away.
“We hope to see our church partners develop a deeper reliance upon Christ as they share Jesus with those they meet near the stadium,” Melvin said. “We hope this cross-cultural evangelism experience will give them a greater desire to reach their neighbors on a daily basis.”
For now, the church has started planning and preparing, beginning with a very clear first step—prayer.
“Prayer,” Melvin said, “is the connecting and energizing factor of evangelism.”
