NRG Stadium is out, Reliant Stadium is back in. The board that runs Houston’s biggest indoor venue has signed off on reviving the old name, and officials say fresh Reliant signage will be up in time for the Houston Texans' 25th season. The timing lines up neatly with Houston’s slate of FIFA World Cup matches this summer, which require corporate signs to come down anyway. For a lot of longtime locals, the change feels less like a rebrand and more like a return to what they were already calling the place.
Board sign‑off and the official record
The name change cleared its key hurdle at the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation’s April meeting, according to the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation's public board materials. The agenda for the April 15, 2026 session shows World Cup preparations and related branding issues were on the table. The county authority serves as the landlord for the NRG Park complex, which includes the stadium.
Why NRG says it is reverting to Reliant
NRG is pitching the move as an answer to what Houstonians already prefer to say. A company survey of local customers showed overwhelming support for the Reliant name. As reported by the Houston Chronicle, NRG Consumer president Brad Bentley said roughly 90% of respondents backed Reliant and that "it's the brand that they connect with." Company leaders are framing the switch as a nod to the name that never really left everyday conversation.
World Cup timing made the move practical
FIFA’s rules gave the stadium a convenient reset window. Host venues have to strip out corporate branding during World Cup matches, so crews were already pulling signage this spring. As reported by ABC13, rooftop and concourse branding started coming down in April as part of tournament prep, and the building will run as "Houston Stadium" for World Cup events. Officials say the gap after the knockout rounds should be enough time to install the new Reliant signs before the Texans take the field.
Logistics, cost and local reaction
The Reliant name is not new, it is original. Reliant Energy bought long-term naming rights in 2002 in a deal worth about $300 million. NRG later acquired Reliant’s retail business in 2009, and the venue was rebranded as NRG Stadium in 2014. The Chronicle reports that NRG controls naming rights through 2032 and that the contract covers the costs of swapping out signs, letterhead and even street-name changes. County officials and Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo leaders told the paper they see the shift as mostly cosmetic. "I still find that when I talk to people, they sometimes call it Reliant first," HCSCC CEO Martye Kendrick said, while RodeoHouston president Chris Boleman added he does not expect a "significant change" for the rodeo.
What fans will see this fall
Construction schedules are set so that Reliant-branded signs, concourse updates and related street and website changes are ready for Texans home games and rodeo events starting in August. For fans, it should feel more like déjà vu than disruption, since plenty of people never updated their vocabulary to NRG in the first place. Expect new rooftop lettering, refreshed wayfinding around One NRG Park and updated logos in suites and concourses as crews finish the conversion back to a familiar name.
