A Texas man reportedly suffocated his two-year-old stepdaughter because she would not stop crying during a World Cup game.

Hector Castro, 28, beat the girl severely enough to crack her ribs before suffocating her during the US v. Ghana match on Saturday, The McAllen Monitor reported.

He then jammed a screw down the girl's throat to try to make it look like an accident before calling for an ambulance, according to the Texas newspaper.

It was clear the screw was not related to her death and police were quickly called to the apartment, where four other children survived.

Castro, an illegal immigrant, allegedly gave investigators a confession that implicated himself in the girl's death, McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez told the paper.

The other children have been taken into protective custody.

"There are no words for this," Rodriguez said. "It makes you want to think about doing lots of things to this guy, but he will face the criminal justice system just like everybody else."

Castro was expected to face capital murder charges.

AFP