Broadcaster Glenn Davis broadcasts during a World Cup round of 16 soccer match in Houston, Saturday, July 4, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Broadcaster Glenn Davis makes notes before a World Cup round of 16 soccer match in Houston, Saturday, July 4, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Broadcaster Glenn Davis’ notes are seen before a World Cup round of 16 soccer match in Houston, Saturday, July 4, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Broadcaster Glenn Davis’ notes are seen before a World Cup round of 16 soccer match in Houston, Saturday, July 4, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Broadcaster Glenn Davis’ makes notes before a World Cup round of 16 soccer match in Houston, Saturday, July 4, 2026.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Soccer fans might have noticed a familiar voice at FIFA Fan Fest while watching Houston’s seven World Cup matches on its giant viewing screens.
Glenn Davis, an important figure in Houston’s soccer scene for more than 40 years, is calling games for the World Cup English-language world feed, which is a broadcast distributed around the globe.
Davis called all seven matches in Houston and will wrap up his World Cup coverage with Friday’s quarterfinal in Los Angeles.
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He said it was a dream come true to be able to broadcast the matches in Houston.
“Somebody is looking down upon me,” Davis said.
It’s tough to tell the story of soccer in Houston without Davis. He first moved to Houston in 1984 to play for the United States League’s Houston Dynamos, which is not related to the current MLS Club Houston Dynamo FC, and has remained a major part of the Houston soccer community in the following decades.
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His role in the sport has varied over the years. He’s been a player, a coach, an advocate, a broadcaster, a radio host and even a soccer columnist for the Chronicle.
Included on his resume are working eight men’s and women’s FIFA World Cups, starting with the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He’s been a play-by-play commentator on television, a play-by-play commentator on radio, a broadcaster in the studio and now a color analyst on the world feed.
Davis said he has really enjoyed working on the world feed. There’s not a lot of interruption, Davis said, and he and his partner Paul Walker get to really hone in on the action on the field.
“I just think it’s remarkable the way this all has come down because I hadn’t done a World Cup since 2019,” Davis said. “This was an opportunity, and an amazing one at that.”
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Davis noted that he has heard from people all around the world – from Romania to Nepal to South Africa – who have heard his voice commentating matches.
Walker and Davis called the Houston matches from right on the halfway line in a dedicated media section, surrounded by other broadcasting teams from around the world.
He liked getting to the matches early in Houston watching everything happen as the day progressed at Reliant Stadium. Looking around the stadium would also remind him of previous matches at the stadium.
“I remember games I called there up real, real high, up in the stratosphere,” Davis said. “I mean, I drive around town, I remember things about soccer in certain places.”
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Davis said it’s been incredible to watch soccer grow in the city and reach a point where it can host World Cup matches. He’s all been thinking a lot about the people who helped Houston reach this point.
Some of them are no longer around. Many of them still are, and Davis is hopeful that the authentic soccer fans have been able to make memorable moments of their own out of the tournament.
“I hope they’re enjoying this in every single way possible that they can because they’re the builders of the game,” Davis said.
Houston’s seven World Cup matches have been played, but Davis has one more match to call.
He will be in Southern California for Friday’s quarterfinal between Spain and Belgium at SoFi Stadium.
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Even though the match won’t be at Reliant Stadium, Davis will be representing Houston with every word he utters. He always does, and he has done so for so many years.
“I like to represent everything Houston, and that includes the soccer community,” Davis said. “Doing these games comes with a responsibility. Whether it was my 20 years with the Dynamo, my 30 years with MLS, World Cup, doing a college game at the University of Texas or Texas A&M — doesn’t matter — you have a responsibility there to the players, the coaches, the listeners, the viewers. And that’s never, ever left.”