If you were hurt at a World Cup match, a fan festival, or in the crowds and traffic around either event in Houston or Dallas, you may have a personal injury claim, and it most likely runs against the private companies that operated the venue, ran security, or sold alcohol rather than against the city or county. The clock started the day you were injured, and in Texas, some of these deadlines are measured in months. Here is who tends to be responsible, why the ownership of these stadiums matters so much, and the dates you cannot let slip by.
Where People Actually Got Hurt
Houston hosted seven matches at NRG Stadium, and the Dallas area hosted nine at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, including a semifinal, pulling tens of thousands of visitors to each. Both stadiums are climate-controlled, but most of the danger lives outside the seating bowl. Injuries at events this size tend to fall into a few buckets:
- Crowd surges and falls: Choke points at gates, stairs, and concourses where too many people move at once.
- Heat illness: Long waits in parking lots, transit lines, and open-air fan festivals under a Texas summer sun.
- Slip and trip hazards: Spilled drinks, wet flooring, loose cabling, and poorly lit walkways.
- Inadequate security: Fights, assaults, or crushing that competent crowd control should have prevented.
- Parking and transit crashes: Collisions involving shuttles, rideshares, and pedestrians in packed lots.
Who Is Actually Responsible
This is the part that catches people off guard. NRG Park is owned by Harris County and run through the Harris County Sports and Convention Corporation. AT&T Stadium is owned by the City of Arlington and operated by the Cowboys organization. Both are, at their core, government property, and the Texas Tort Claims Act makes suing a Texas city or county for this kind of injury very hard.
That does not mean no one answers for what happened. An event this big runs on a web of private companies: promoters, crowd management and security contractors, concession and alcohol vendors, cleaning crews, and staffing agencies. Those businesses have their own duties and their own insurance, and they are usually where a real claim is directed.
When a public entity is a possible defendant, you may have to send formal written notice fast, because Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 101.101 sets a six-month notice deadline and lets a city charter shorten it even more.
Alcohol, Vendors, and the Drive Home
Stadiums and fan zones move a lot of beer on match day, and that creates its own risk. Under the Texas Dram Shop Act at Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code § 2.02, a bar, vendor, or stadium concessionaire can be held responsible for serving someone who was already obviously drunk when that person then hurts another, including in a wreck on the way home. If a visibly intoxicated fan injured you inside the venue, or a drunk driver hit you while leaving it, the seller may share the blame with the driver.
If You Traveled In for the Tournament
Many of the people hurt this summer do not live in Texas, and plenty flew in from other countries. You do not have to stay in Texas or fly back to bring a claim here. Where the injury happened generally controls where the case belongs, so a fan from overseas hurt at NRG Stadium can pursue a Texas claim through a Texas lawyer while recovering at home. A few habits protect that claim no matter where you are now:
- Get your treatment documented wherever you receive care.
- Keep your ticket, photos, video, and the names of anyone you spoke with.
- Say nothing on the record to an insurer or venue representative before you talk to a lawyer.
Deadlines You Cannot Ignore
Time works against these claims, and the rules give little grace:
- Two-year filing deadline: Most Texas injury lawsuits must be filed within two years under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003.
- Government notice deadline: When a public entity is in the picture, written notice can come due within six months or less under the Tort Claims Act.
- Your share of fault: Texas cuts or bars recovery based on your own percentage of responsibility under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 33.001, so preserved evidence early makes a real difference.
Frequently Asked Questions
You Signed Something on Your Ticket. Did You Waive Your Right to Sue?
Not necessarily. Fine print on a ticket can limit some claims, but Texas courts refuse to enforce these releases against gross negligence (conduct showing extreme disregard for someone’s safety), reckless conduct, or intentional acts, and the exact wording carries a lot of weight.
You Already Flew Home. Can You Still File in Texas?
Yes. The case generally belongs where you were injured, not where you live. A Texas firm can run the claim, collect the venue evidence, and keep you posted without dragging you back for most steps.
The Venue Called It an Accident. Does That Settle It?
No. Calling something an accident is not a legal finding. If thin staffing, poor planning, or ignored safety standards led to your injury, that is negligence, whatever the venue prefers to call it.
Talk to the Firm Behind the Astroworld Crowd Crush Case
At The Buzbee Law Firm, our team knows these venues and these defendants firsthand. We represented families and injured fans after the Astroworld crowd crush at NRG Park, the same Houston grounds that hosted World Cup matches, and we went after the private promoters, security companies, and operators instead of letting government immunity end the discussion. You can see the outcomes we have won in our record of verdicts and settlements, and hear how we build cases like these on our podcast, Swimming With the Sharks.
If you were hurt at the World Cup in Houston or Dallas, contact us online for a free case review, or call 800-992-5393. There is no fee unless we win.
About The Author: Tony Buzbee
Tony Buzbee earned his J.D. summa cum laude from the University of Houston Law Center after serving as a United States Marine Corps Recon officer. He is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading trial lawyers and has received honors including Texas Lawyer Attorney of the Year and Lawdragon Leading Lawyer.
Known for taking on high-stakes litigation nationwide, Tony is respected for his leadership, courtroom advocacy, and commitment to achieving exceptional results for his clients and the community.
Client testimonials frequently praise Tony’s strategic approach, relentless advocacy, and ability to secure successful outcomes in complex cases.
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