H-Town Goes Global: Texans Fans Bring Houston Energy Across the Pond to London

The Houston Texans may be thousands of miles away from home Sunday, but judging by what’s happening around London, somebody forgot to tell the fans this is supposed to be a road game.

H-Town has officially crossed the pond.

Texans fans have made their way to London ahead of Houston’s international matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Oct. 18, at Wembley Stadium. The AFC South showdown kicks off at 2:30 p.m. in London, 8:30 a.m. back home in Houston. 

But this trip has become about more than football. This is Houston putting its culture on display.

The jerseys, Battle Red, Deep Steel Blue, Texans flags and that unmistakable Houston attitude have traveled across the Atlantic. The Traveling Texans aren't simply showing up for a football game. They're giving London a little taste of what Sundays feel like back home.

Texans fans have been making their presence felt throughout London before kickoff.

The organization planned an entire weekend around its traveling fan base, including a welcome party, city photo near Tower Bridge, Texans Two-Step tutorial, player-legends meet-and-greet and pep rally. The Bull Pen LDN at Redwood Pub became a temporary home base for Texans fans in the city.

And that's what makes international games special.

Football might be the reason everybody bought the plane ticket, but the experience becomes bigger than those four quarters.

ABC13 reported that Texans fans were teaching Londoners the Texans line dance and sharing Houston culture during the weekend. Texans Chair and CEO Cal McNair, Hannah McNair, Hall of Famer Andre Johnson, TORO and Texans cheerleaders also joined fans during the festivities.

That's H-Town for you. We don't just show up. We bring the party with us.

There is also a little history behind this trip.

Sunday will be Houston's third international regular-season game and its second appearance in London. The last time the Texans played at Wembley was Nov. 3, 2019, also against Jacksonville, when Houston walked away with a dominating 26-3 victory. So maybe the 26-3 win against the Titans is a sign from the football Gods.

Seven years later, Texans fans are hoping history can repeat itself. The circumstances are certainly different. Houston enters the matchup at 1-4, while Jacksonville sits at 4-1, making this much more than an international showcase. This is an important AFC South game for a Texans team trying to climb out of an early-season hole.

That's where the traveling fans could become important.

Jacksonville is technically the home team, and the Jaguars have built a strong relationship with London through years of playing games there.

But Houston fans have an opportunity to make sure Wembley doesn't feel completely like Jacksonville territory.

Every third down matters. Every sack matters. Every Texans chant matters. When C.J. Stroud and that offense take the field, they need to hear Houston.

When Will Anderson Jr. and the Texans defense force Jacksonville into a third-and-long, they need to hear Houston.

There is something special about looking into the stands thousands of miles from home and still seeing your colors.

Players talk all the time about feeding off crowd energy. Usually that's associated with playing inside your own stadium. Sunday presents Houston fans with the opportunity to manufacture some of that energy on foreign soil.

There's another side to this weekend that shouldn't be overlooked.

There are Texans fans in the United Kingdom who don't get the opportunity to see their team in person every Sunday.

The Houston Chronicle highlighted UK-based supporters preparing to see the Texans live, including Liverpool fan Scott Kenny, who was set to attend his first Texans game in person.

That's pretty cool when you think about it. For Houston fans traveling from Texas, this is an unforgettable road trip.

For some Texans supporters living overseas, this could be their version of finally walking into the stadium they've watched on television for years.

Those two groups coming together at Wembley represent something bigger for this franchise.

The Texans aren't just Houston's team anymore. They're developing fans thousands of miles away. And nothing grows that connection faster than seeing Battle Red walking around your own city.

Texans fans have always carried a certain pride about representing H-Town, and London is getting the full experience this weekend.

The food might be different. The accents are definitely different. The stadium is different. And kickoff back home is happening while plenty of Houston fans are probably still working on their first cup of coffee.

But football is football.

And H-Town is still H-Town.

So when the Texans walk into Wembley Stadium Sunday afternoon, they shouldn't feel like they're standing alone in enemy territory. Somewhere in those stands will be Houston fans who spent the money, boarded the plane, crossed the Atlantic and brought a little piece of Texas with them.