Red-and-white soccer culture, community, and World Cup excitement in Texas

This weekend, FC Bayern brought its culture of international fan engagement to Houston, Texas, with a strong message of community, soccer enthusiasm, and club identity in action. FC Bayern legend Claudio Pizarro dropped by too.

First Bayern fan festival in Houston for Klassiker screening

The FC Bayern Texas Fest took place in Houston for the first time, powered by Paulaner and ticketed by SAP. Around 1,000 visitors enjoyed a full day of activities, the highlight of which was the live broadcast of Der Klassiker against Borussia Dortmund. From morning till night, everything revolved around the German record champions. It was a display of tradition and passion, but also innovation and closeness – especially to the people who make up the club.

Partner activations and coaching session

Fans in attendance enjoyed interactive experiences, such as the kids corner, the Paulaner beer garden, an EA FC Gaming Lounge, a basketball hoop corner, a classic soccer shirt corner, and much more. Things got particularly active during the exclusive coaching sessions with FC Bayern coaches as supporters got to experience an FC Bayern-style training session and the club’s playing philosophy at first hand. There were also children from the FREEKICKS Soccer Program, who not only took away soccer skills but also inspiration.

FC Bayern supporting FREEKICKS program

There was another special moment on the eve of the event, the club's 126th anniversary, as FC Bayern supported the launch of the FREEKICKS Soccer Program by the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Houston Host Committee. The program plans to renovate soccer fields around Houston and award over 1,200 scholarships to young players at leading youth clubs in the region. For FC Bayern, this brought things full circle. The club, represented at the time by Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, was an early supporter of the idea during the 2019 Audi Summer Tour in Houston, and now it has become a reality.

North American fan clubs shaping the future

The red-and-white fan family came together on Friday evening, with fan club presidents from across North America gathering for an interactive workshop. The focus was on exchange, best practices, and the shared ambition to further develop FC Bayern in North America, in partnership with and from within the community. It was the first event of its kind in the Americas and underlined the commitment to strengthening the international FC Bayern family in the long term. The event concluded with a birthday cake and a special visit from FC Bayern legend Pizarro.

Pizarro in Texas: Meet & greet with a cowboy hat

For many fans, Pizarro was the red-and-white icing on the cake for the weekend. The crowd favorite was on hand for meet & greets, match analysis, and a humorous Q&A. As a symbolic bridge between Bavaria and Texas, he was also presented with his own cowboy hat - a moment that perfectly captured the lightheartedness and camaraderie of the weekend.

Houston looking ahead to World Cup

The weekend was a resounding success and FC Bayern, together with the Bayern Munich Fan Club of Texas, once again left a positive impression in Houston as the city prepares to host World Cup matches this summer. Houston is also a special venue from an FC Bayern perspective, given the squad’s players in the Germany and Portugal national teams could be in action there in the group stage.