2026 World Cup venue: NRG Stadium, U.S., awarded contract for membrane roof renovation.

Taiyo Kogyo Corporation (Tokyo Head Office: Setagaya-ku, Tokyo; Osaka Head Office: Yodogawa-ku, Osaka; President: Yumi Nomura), a company involved in large-scale membrane structures (tent structures) and civil engineering and logistics materials, has received an order through its US subsidiary, Birdair Inc. (headquartered in Buffalo, New York, U.S.A.) for the replacement of the membrane roof of NRG Stadium (Houston Stadium, Houston, Texas, U.S.A.), the venue for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. When the stadium was completed in 2002, Birdair was also in charge of membrane roofing, and when it was first completed, it was the world’s first NFL (National Football League) stadium with a retractable roof, a facility that attracted much attention. The next-generation renovation will improve the building’s durability and performance.

NRG Stadium is the home of the NFL’s Houston Texans and a multi-purpose venue for a variety of sporting and entertainment events. 2002 marked the first NFL stadium with a retractable roof. In addition to American football, the stadium is also home to soccer, basketball, and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the world’s largest livestock exhibition and rodeo.

Birdair was also the first NFL stadium with a fully retractable roof, Birdair was involved in the construction of the roof structure when it was built in 2002, and will again use its experience and technical expertise to undertake the renovation. The existing membrane panels will be replaced with a new PTFE membrane*, 20 years after completion. Preparation work has been underway since February 2025, and the construction work will begin in June 2025 with a helicopter lift of the membrane panels from the roof, a highly challenging task. The replacement work is scheduled to be completed by the time of the 2026 World Cup.

* PTFE membrane: A strong composite material made of glass fiber fabric coated with fluorocarbon resin, which is also used in the world’s first permanent membrane structure building, LaVerne University (constructed in 1973, California, USA). Comparing a cross-sectional view of a membrane sample from the time of the University of LaVerne’s construction with a cross-sectional view of a current membrane sample using micrographs, no noticeable deterioration can be seen. The stain resistance, color tone, translucency, and protection of the woven fabric also remain unchanged, demonstrating its superior durability.

Dates: June-July 2026
Hosts: United States, Canada, Mexico
*First time in FIFA World Cup history that three countries co-host
Number of matches: 104
Number of participating countries: 48
Number of venues: 16 cities (including 11 in the United States, 2 in Canada, 3 in Mexico)

NGR Stadium (left photo: this stadium)
– AT&T Stadium (center photo: completed in 2009, retractable roof with titanium dioxide photocatalytic membrane)
– Mercedes-Benz Stadium (left photo: completed in 2017, retractable ETFE film roof)

Taiyo Kogyo’s U.S. subsidiary (wholly owned subsidiary)
・Established: 1956
・President: Hikaru Konno
・Location: Buffalo, NY, USA

Taiyo Kogyo is a leading manufacturer of large membrane surface structures that are economical, easy to install, translucent, and well designed. Under the corporate philosophy of “Unlocking the infinite possibilities of membranes to deliver an inspiring and comfortable environment to our customers. Under the corporate philosophy of “We will bring excitement and a comfortable environment to our customers by exploiting the infinite possibilities of membranes,” TSP Taiyo has been supporting the safety and security of society by utilizing the characteristics of light and strong materials to expand its business in various fields including construction, as symbolized by the roof of the giant dome, civil engineering, logistics, and environmental fields.

Together with group companies such as TSP Taiyo Corporation, which provides event consulting services, and ACTIO Corporation, which manages facilities, we are working to “make the world softer and the future warmer. We aim to “make the world soft and the future warm. We aim to “soften the world and warm the future.