In 2026, stadiums in Texas will be packed with fans from around the world, new security exchanges will open, education in the Lone Star State will change and Texans will cast ballots under newly drawn political lines. These are the key stories that are set to shape Texas, its place in the United States and the world in 2026.
2026 FIFA World Cup
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - OCTOBER 02: FIFA World Cup 2026 Official Match Ball at the Home of FIFA on October 02, 2025, in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Marcio Machado/FIFA)
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place this summer with a record 48 competing in the tournament. The field was divided into 12 groups of four in December with matches set to take place in 16 cities across the three host countries: the United States, Mexico and Canada.
FIFA World Cup group schedule: Full list of matchdays
All game matches and locations have been revealed for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final Tournament. Here’s when and where USA plays, and other notable matches in the schedule.
Dallas and Houston are among the host cities for the tournament.
Local perspective:
Dallas will host nine tournament games: five group stage games, two round of 32 games, a round of 16 game and a semi-final match. The group stage games include two games featuring defending World Cup champions, Argentina. Dallas also plays host to the number four-ranked team in the world, England, and seventh-ranked Netherlands.
World Cup schedule 2026: Full list of teams to play at Dallas Stadium
All Dallas World Cup matches have been revealed, including games with Argentina and England.
Houston will host seven World Cup matches this summer: five group stage games, a round of 32 game and a round of 16 game.
Houston will play host to a pair of games featuring sixth-ranked Portugal, along with games featuring Germany and the Netherlands.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off on June 11.
You can watch all the FIFA World Cup action on FOX
'Y’all Street': Trading begins in 2026 on Texas Stock Exchange, NYSE Texas. Nasdaq plans to open regional headquarters in Dallas
Dig deeper:
Texas has been developing the soon-to-launch Texas Stock Exchange for some time, welcoming expansions of established venues and passing legislation to appeal to traders.
At the beginning of the year, the TXSE Group announced that it filed to register the Texas Stock Exchange with the Securities and Exchange Commission. TXSE intends to launch trading in early 2026.
In February, it was announced that Dallas would host the New York Stock Exchange’s "fully electronic equities exchange," NYSE Texas, after the NYSE reincorporates its NYSE Chicago.
In March, Nasdaq announced their plans to open a regional headquarters in Dallas, as a "hub for Nasdaq clients and the wider community."
In May, Abbott signed Senate Bill 29, which codifies the Business Judgment Rule and promotes predictability in corporate governance litigation. Nasdaq applauded the law when it was signed, saying it "enhances Texas’ competitiveness as a jurisdiction for incorporation and business growth."
On Nov. 4, Texans passed all 17 constitutional amendments on the ballot. One of these, Proposition 6, blocks new taxes on stock trading and taxing those operating or working in the securities market.
Texas' school choice program will begin for 2026-2027 school year
Gov. Greg Abbott signed a school choice bill allocating $1 billion for a voucher program that allows parents to use public funds to pay for private school in May 2025.
By the numbers:
The program creates education savings accounts that allow families to use $1 billion in public funds for private school tuition, instructional materials, tutoring, therapies and other educational expenses.
The program capped off a yearslong effort to implement the program despite resistance from Democrats and rural Republicans.
The window for private schools and vendors to join the program opened on Dec. 9.
The application for families to apply for the program opens on Feb. 6 to allow for implementation in time for the 2026–2027 school year.
In its first year, the program will be capped at $1 billion and used by up to 90,000 students. It could grow to nearly $4.5 billion per year by 2030.
The amount of money a student can receive depends on their situation.
Students with disabilities participating in an Individualized Education Program or certain Pre-K students may be eligible for up to $30,000 annually.
All other students may receive up to $2,000 each year.
Students who are accepted into the program and remain in good standing will not need to reapply each year.
If there are more applicants than spots available, priority will be given to families based on their adjusted gross income.
Opponents have said the program takes money away from public schools and will not help low-income students.
Some have gone so far as to call it "welfare for the wealthy," saying the money will be used by those who are already sending their children to private schools.
Big picture view:
Several other states have similar programs in place, but Texas' will be the largest in the country.
Camp Mystic plans to reopen after catastrophic floods
A popular Christian summer camp announced plans to reopen in 2026, just one year after 25 young girls and two staffers were killed during deadly flooding in Central Texas.
Camp Mystic announced their plans to implement the new Texas safety protocols ahead of reopening in a letter Monday.
The letter begins by promising a memorial to the 27 people who died while staying at the property on the Fourth of July weekend.
They then say they will reopen with the new "Heaven's 27 Safety Act" in place. The legislation passed during the second Texas Special Session of the legislature, and requires stricter practices for summer camps, as well as restrictions on flood plain construction.
It's specified in the letter that one of their properties, Camp Mystic Guadalupe River, is too damaged to reopen alongside the other facilities. They say their ongoing plans to restore that site will comply with new regulations, and ensure that campers will not return to cabins that had flood water inside them.
House Bill 1, which has been deemed "Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act," requires an online list of licensed youth camps, an emergency plan for different scenarios that staff are trained on.
Senate Bill 1 prohibits the licensing of youth camps that have cabins in floodplains.
FEMA removed parts of Camp Mystic from 100-year flood map after camp appeals, AP report
FEMA removed dozens of Camp Mystic buildings from its 100-year floodplain map for Kerr County, the AP reports.
Senate Bill 3 requires outdoor warning sirens in areas prone to flooding.
The other side:
Two lawsuits have been filed against the camp in the aftermath of the flooding.
The lawsuits claim the camp knowingly operated the camp with cabins in a high-risk flood zone without proper safety measures, evacuation plans or staff training.
One lawsuit claims Camp Mystic’s owners and directors, members of the Eastland family, had decades of prior knowledge about flooding on the property but "played Russian roulette with the lives of little girls" by continuing to house children in cabins along the riverbank.
The filing cites a long history of flood events dating back to 1932 and alleges that the camp sought to remove floodplain designations from FEMA maps to lower insurance costs rather than relocate structures to safer ground.
The camp plans to sign up campers in January with campers beginning to arrive in May.
While some families said letting their daughters return to the camp is important for their healing from the disaster, some parents of the victims said the decision to reopen the camp is insensitive.
2026 midterm elections
All eyes were on the Lone Star State over the summer as President Donald Trump floated the idea of a rare mid-decade congressional redistricting in an attempt to expand on the Republican majority in the House.
Texas became the first state in the president’s crosshairs claiming a new map could bring five new Republican seats to the House.
Abbott called a special session of the state legislature to pass the new map. However, Democrats broke quorum and left the state for two weeks. The map eventually passed during a second special session and was signed into law in August.
The map faced legal challenges almost immediately.
The Supreme Court has seemingly indicated that the new maps will be allowed, saying a lower court misread evidence and ignored legal inferences. The court allowed the new districts to stay in place and essentially locked them in place for the 2026 midterms while the court considers arguments.
In addition to the 38 seats in the U.S. House that will be up for grabs in November, the stage is set for a high-stakes race for the U.S. Senate.
Primary elections are set for May with the race for both the Democratic and Republican nomination up for grabs.
On the Democrats’ side, state Rep. James Talirico and Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett are vying for the nomination, while a three-way race on the Republican side is putting incumbant Sen. John Cornyn against Attorney General Ken Paxton and Congressman Wesley Hunt.
Races for attorney general and governor will also be on the November ballot.
The Source: Information in this article comes from previous FOX reporting. The Associated Press contributed to this report.